THIS  VOLUME 

IS  DEPOSITED   WITH   THE 

NEW   HAMPSHIRE 


J51r  REV.  SILAS  KETCIH  M, 

ON    THE     FOLLOWING     CONDITIONS: 

IT  shall  be  subject:  to  the  order  of  the  said  SILAS  KETCH- 
UM,  or  to  removal  by  him  at  any  time,  on  giving  his  receipt 
to  the  Curator;  or  to  be  claimed  by  his  legal  representative 
any  time  within  one  year  after  his  decease.  It  shall  be 
subject  to  the  same  regulations  as  other  volumes  in  the  Soci- 
ety's Library;  and  the  Society  shall  assume  no  risk  on  the 
same  against  loss  by  fire,  the  owner's  right  to  insure  being 
reserved. 

(Signed)     SILAS  KETCHUM. 

THE  above  Conditions  were  agreed  to  by  Vote  of  the 
N.  H.  ANTIQVAKIAN  SOCIETY,  at  the  Regular  Meeting,  igth 
of  January,  1875. 

GEO.  €.  BLAISDELL,  Record.  Sec. 


S.K. 


..,- 


MEMOIRS 

OF  THE 

LIFE,  WRITINGS,  AND  CHARACTER, 

LITERARY,  PROFESSIONAL,  AND  RELIGIOUS, 


OF   THE    LATE 


JOHN  MASON  GOOD,  M.D. 

K.R.S.    r.  R.  S.  L.    MEM.  AM.  PHIL.  SOC.  AND    F.  L.  S.  OF   PHILADELPHIA, 
ETC.   ETC.   ETC. 


BY  OLINTHUS   GREGORY,  LL.  D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  MATHEMATICS  IN  THE  ROYAL  MILITARY  ACADEMY, 
&.C.   &C. 


WITH   THE 

SERMON  OCCASIONED  BY  HIS  DEATH, 

BY  CHARLES   JERRAM,    M.  A. 


BOSTON  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  CROCKER  &  BREWSTER, 

47,  Washington  Street. 

NEW  YORK .— J.  LEAVITT, 

182,  Broadway. 

1829. 


THIS  edition  of  the  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Good  differs  from  the  Lon- 
don edition,  from  which  it  is  printed,  in  the  following  respects. 
The  preface,  a  few  notes  containing,  for  the  most  part,  matter  that 
would  be  interesting  only  to  an  English  antiquary,  and  some  ex- 
tracts from  the  writings  of  other  persons  having  little  or  no  refer- 
ence to  Dr.  Good's  history  or  character,  have  been  omitted ;  the 
extracts,  with  which  the  Memoirs  abound,  from  the  works  of  Dr. 
Good  have,  in  several  instances,  been  curtailed ;  and  there  has 
been  added  the  funeral  Sermon  preached  by  the  Vicar  of  the 
church  with  which  Dr.  Good  was  connected  for  some  time  pre- 
vious to  his  death. 


PEIRCE   AND    WILLIAMS,   PRINTERS. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

SECTION  I.  Memoirs  of  the  Life 
of  Dr.  J.  M.  Good     ....     13 
J.  M.  Good's  family     ....     14 
His  father's  ordination  and  mar- 
riage    15 

Early  concurring  circumstances 
in  the  formation  of  J.  M.  Good's 

character 17 

Put  apprentice  to  a  surgeon  at 

Gosport 20 

His  early  Common-place-book  '21 
Attends  the  London  Hospitals  23 
Settles  as  a  surgeon  at  Sudbury  '2 1 
His  first  marriage,  &c.  ...  25 
Becomes  acquainted  with  Dr. 

Drake 27 

Mr.  Good's  second  marriage     .     27 
He  becomes  involved  in  pecu- 
niary embarrassments  .  .  .  their 

effect 28 

Poems  published  in  "  theWorld"  29 
Essay  on  Providence  ....  32 
Remark  on  our  Lord's  Miracles  48 
Mr.  Good  removes  to  London  .  49 
Address  to  the  Evening  Star  .  50 
Verses  to  a  Bath  Stove  (left  be- 
hind) at  Sudbury 51 

New  perplexities  and  trials  .  .  52 
Account  of  the  Phannaccutic 

Association 53 

Ignorance  of  many  country  Drug- 
gists in  1794 54 

Mr.   Good's    translations    from 

Clcmenti  Bondi 56 

His  generalizing  study  of  lan- 
guages       57 

Contributes  to  the  Critical  and 

other  Reviews 61 

Mr.  Good  loses  his  only  son  .  .  62 
Commences  his  translation  of 

Lucretius 64 

Translation  effected  during  his 

professional  walks      ....    65 
United   with  Dr.  Gregory  and 
Mr.   Bosworth   in   the  Panto- 

logia 68 

Delivers  Lectures  at  the  Surrey 
Institution 70 


72 


PACK 

Occasional     poetry :      Another 

Trifle,    Birdbrook  Parsonage, 

The   Wish,  On   the  Death  of 

the  Princess  Charlotte,  &.c. 

Mr.    Good    contributes    to    the 

British  Review 77 

Takes  the  degree  of  M.  D.  .     .    78 
Writes  his  System  of  Nosology    79 

Study  of  Medicine  .     80 

Publishes  the  Book  of  Nature  .     80 
His  declining  health,  and  antici- 
pations of  death     80 

Extracts   from   letters    to    Drs. 
Walton  and  Drake     ....     81 

Death 85 

Brief  character,    by    Mr.   Ro- 
berts, &c 87 

SKCTIOX  II,  Review  of  the  prin- 
cipal publications  of  Dr.  Good, 
and  an  account  of  two  impor- 
tant works  yet  unpublished  .     .     90 
Diseases  of  Prisons,  &c. ...     91 
History  of  Medicine     .     .     .     .93 
Translation  of  the  Song  of  Songs    95 
Memoirs  of  Dr.  Geddes    ...     99 
Refutation  of  one  of  his  errors  .  101 
Translation  of  Lucretius  .     .     .  103 
Sketch  of  the  System  of  Epicu- 
rus   108 

Exposure  of  some  of  its  errors,  111 
Specimens  of  the  translation  .  114 
of  the  notes  .  .  .  119 


Anniversary  Oration  :   Medical 

Society 124 

Essay  on  Medical  Technology  125 

Translation  of  the  Book  of  Job,  127 
Dr.  Good's  account  of  its  nature 

and  contents 130 

Translation  of  Job  xix.     .     .     .  146 
Comparative     specimens    from 
Mr.  Scott,  Dr.  Smith,  &c.  .     .  147 
Specimen  of  Dr.  Good's  trans- 
lation in  heroic  verse  ....  148 
Physiological  Nosology    .     .     .  150 
Outline  of  Dr.  Good's  system    .  151 
Table  of  proposed  affixes  and 

suffixes 154 

Study  of  Medicine 157 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Quotation,  on  distortion  of  the 
spine 161 

Opinions  of  Medical  Journalists  163 

The  Book  of  Nature    ....  165 

Extract,  on  the  varieties  of  the 
human  race 169 

Translation  of  Proverbs   .     .     .  183 

Extract  from  Introductory  Dis- 
sertation   185 

Translation  of  the  Psalms    .     .  198 

Extracts  from  Dr.  Good's  His- 
torical Outline 202 

Specimens  of  the  translation, 
and  comparisons  with  other 
translations 206 

Summary  of  Dr.  Good's  intel- 
lectual character 216 

SECTION  III.  A  developement  of 
Dr.  Good's  religious  character  218 

Preliminary  remarks  on  the 
superiority  of  the  religious  to 
the  intellectual  principle  .  .  219 

On  the  law  of  reputation,  and  our 
responsibility  for  our  opinions  220 

To  what  extent  is  infidelity  pre- 
valent among  medical  men  ?  .  223 

Whether  changes  of  opinion  fair- 
ly imply  a  want  of  principle  1  225 

Dr.  Good  adopts  Socmian  sen- 
timents   231 

Notes  extracted  from  his  inter- 
leaved Bible 233 

His  slow  escape  from  specula- 
tive error 237 

Metrical  translation  of  Psalm  xlii.  238 

Correspondence  with  his  minis- 
ter, on  his  separation  from  the 
Sccinians 240 

Becomes  acquainted  with  Rev. 
S.  Marsden  .  .  244 


PAGE 

Extract  from  an  essay  on  Hap- 
piness    .  .  246 

Verses  on  entering  his  50th  year  24*9 

The  Daisy,  a  short  poetical  ef- 
fusion   250 

The  Resting  Place .    .     .     .     .251 

More  notes  from  his  interleaved 
Bible 252 

Effect  of  the  alarming  illness  of 
his  two  daughters 254 

Illness  and  death  of  his  son-in- 
law,  the  Rev.  Cornelius  Neale  256 

Specimens  of  his  devotional 
poetry 259 

Selections  from  his  Occasional 
Thoughts :— Enoch  ....  268 

On,  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world 269 

Form  of  Prayer 273 

On,  The  Way  Everlasting    .     .  274 

On,  Be  of  good  cheer :  it  is  I ; 
be  not  afraid 277 

On,  And  they  heard  the  voice 
of  the  Lord  God  walking  in 
the  garden  in  the  cool  of  the 
evening 281 

On,  And  as  he  reasoned  of 
righteousness,  temperance,  and 
judgment  to  come,  Felix  trem- 
bled s 285 

On,  Let  us  now  go  even  unto 
Bethlehem,  and  see  this  thing 
which  is  come  to  pass,  which 
the  Lord  hath  made  known 
unto  us •  .  290 

Dr.  Good's  last  letter  .     .     .     .299 

Account  of  his  last  illness  and 
death 301 

Sermon  occasioned  by  his  death  313 


MEMOIRS. 


SECTION    I. 

MEMOIRS  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  DR.  JOHN  MASON  GOOD,  ILLUS- 
TRATED BY  VARIOUS  EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  UNPUBLISHED 
WRITINGS,  OR  FROM  THOSE  THAT  WERE  PUBLISHED 
ANONYMOUSLY. 

THE  attempt  to  sketch  the  biography  of  a  deceased 
friend  is  at  once  delightful  and  difficult.  It  is  delightful 
to  retrace  those  characteristics  of  mind  and  heart,  which 
excited  our  admiration,  and  kept  our  affection  alive  ;  but 
it  is  difficult  so  to  accomplish  this  as  to  avoid  the  charge 
of  partiality  ;  and  an  apprehension  of  this  difficulty,  ex- 
perienced by  one,  who,  whatever  was  his  attachment  to 
the  deceased  individual,  wishes  only  to  be  just  in  his 
appreciation  of  character,  occasions  a  feeling  of  restraint 
which  is  unfavorable  to  the  due  execution  of  the  task  he 
has  undertaken. 

In  delineating,  however,  the  intellectual  and  moral 
jwrtrait  of  Dr.  JOHN  MASON  GOOD,  the  subject  of  these 
memoirs,  the  difficulty  to  which  1  have  here  adverted  is 
considerably  diminished ;  because  the  papers,  which 
have  been  preserved  with  unusual  care,  in  a  tolerably 
connected  series,  from  his  earliest  youth,  will  furnish  the 
principal  materials  for  the  picture  ;  and  thus  will  free  me 
2 


14  MEMOIRS   OF 

in  great  measure  from  the  temptation,  either  to  over- 
charge the  likeness,  or  to  intercept  its  exhibition  by 
placing  myself  before  it. 

If  it  be  true,  as  has  been  often  affirmed,  that  there  has 
rarely  passed  a  life  of  which  a  faithful  and  judicious 
narrative  would  not  be  interesting  and  instructive ;  it 
will  surely  not  be  unreasonable  to  hope  that  advantage 
may  result  from  even  an  imperfect  development  of  the 
circumstances  that  contributed  to  the  formation  of  a 
character  of  no  ordinary  occurrence ;  one  which  com- 
bined successfully  the  apparently  incongruous  attributes 
of  contemplation  and  of  activity  :  where  memory  evinced 
with  equal  energy  its  faculties  of  acquisition,  of  retention, 
and  of  promptness  in  reproduction  ;  and  where,  in  con- 
sequence, the  individual  attained  an  extraordinary  emi- 
nence, not  merely  in  one  department  of  literature  or 
science,  but  in  several ;  and  proved  himself  equally 
expert  in  the  details  of  practice,  and  in  the  researches  of 
theory ;  allowing  neither  the  fatigues  of  the  one,  nor  the 
absorptions  of  the  other,  permanently  to  extinguish  that 
thirst  after  the  chief  good  which  is  the  noblest  character- 
istic of  true  greatness  of  mind. 

In  attempting  this  development,  I  shall  not  wander  from 
the  proposed  point,  if  I  commence  with  a  short  account 
of  Dr.  Good's  family.  This  family  was  highly  respecta- 
ble, and  had  for  several  generations  possessed  property  at 
Romsey,  in  Hampshire,  and  in  the  neighboring  parish  of 
Lockerley.  The  shalloon  manufacture,  now  greatly  on 
the  decline,  had  for  ages  been  carried  on  to  a  consider- 
able extent  at  Romsey,  and  the  family  of  the  Goods  long 
ranked  amongst  the  most  successful  and  opulent  of  the 
proprietary  manufacturers.  Inscriptions  over  the  ashes  of 
several  of  them,  for  two  or  three  centuries  back,  may  be 
seen  in  the  aisles  of  the  venerable  abbey  church, 
some  with  the  cautious  monumental  designation  of  "  gen- 
tleman and  alderman  of  this  town."  The  grandfather  of 
John  Mason  Good,  who  was  actively  engaged  in  this  manu- 
facture, had  three  sons,  "William,  Edward,  and  Peter  :  of 
these  the  eldest  devoted  himself  to  the  military  profession 
and  died  young  ;  the  second  succeeded  his  father  as  a 
shalloon  manufacturer,  and  possessed  the  family  estates 
at  Romsey  and  Lockerley  ;  the  third,  evincing  early  in- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  15 

dications  of  piety,  was  devoted  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  Independent  or  Congregational  class 
of  Dissenters.  To  qualify  him  for  this,  he  was  first 
placed  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  W.  Johnson,  then  the 
minister  of  a  flourishing  congregation  at  Romsey ;  from 
whom  he  was,  after  he  had  finished  his  preparatory 
studies,  removed  to  the  Congregational  academy  at 
Ottery-St.-Mary,  in  Devonshire,  then  under  the  charge 
of  a  very  eminent  scholar,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Levander.  Here 
he  made  considerable  proficiency  in  the  Latin,  Greek, 
and  Hebrew  languages,  and  acquired  a  love  for  general 
literature  and  its  application  to  Biblical  criticism  and  ex- 
plication, which  he  never  lost. 

Having  terminated  his  academical  course,  and  estab- 
lished a  reputation  for  learning  and  piety,  he  was  invited 
to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  an  "  Independent  church 
and  congregation"  at  Epping  in  Essex.  His  ordination 
took  place  on  Thursday  the  23d  of  September,  1760, 
and  the  celebrated  JOHN  MASON  "  delivered  the  charge" 
on  that  occasion.  It  was  an  interesting  and  instructive 
composition,  peculiarly  characteristic  of  its  author,  which 
I  have  read  with  great  pleasure,  in  the  Rev.  Peter  Good's 
common-place  book ;  though  I  believe  it  has  never  been 
published. 

About  a  year  after  his  establishment  at  Epping,  Mr. 
Good  married  Miss  SARAH  PEYTO,  the  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  HENRY  PEYTO,  of  Great  Coggeshall,  Essex,  and  the 
favorite  niece  of  the  Rev.  John  Mason.  This  Mr.  Ma- 
son acquired  a  lasting  and  distinguished  reputation,  as 
the  author  of  the  universally  known  TREATISE  ON  SELF- 
KNOWLEDGE  ;*  and  was  the  grandson  of  another  John 
Maton,  rector  of  Water  Stratford  in  Buckinghamshire,  a 

*  He  wrote  and  published  several  other  valuable  works.  In  one  of  them, 
'•'  A  J-lain  and  Modest  Pica  lor  Christianity,"  published  in  1743,  he  com- 
pletely exposed  and  refuted  the  pernicious  sophistry,  then  producing  a  most 
baneful  effect,  diffused  in  a  treatise  entitled  "  Christianity  not  founded  on 
Argument."  Amoug  his  publications  are,  "  The  Student  and  Pastor ;  or 


iples  of  Harmony  L 
Poetical  Composition  :"  An  "  Essay  on  Elocution,"  which  was  long  em- 
ployed as  a  text-book  at  Oxford  ;  and  four  octavo  volumes  of  sermons, 
published  in  1754,  under  the  title  of  "The  Lord's-Day  Evening  Entertain- 
ment." Most  of  these  still  retain  an  undiminished  reputation.  Mr.  Mason 
died  in  1753,  aged  58  years. 


16  MEMOIRS    OF 

man  of  great  genius  as  well  as  piety,  who  died  in  1694, 
and  who  left  a  little  collection  of  devotional  aphorisms, 
published  by  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  Watts,  and  en- 
titled "  Select  Remains  of  the  Rev.  John  Mason,  A.  M." 
This  little  book  continues,  most  deservedly,  to  receive  a 
wide  circulation.  It  is  constituted  principally  of  short, 
but  sententious  and  weighty  reflections  on  the  most  mo- 
mentous topics  in  reference  to  the  Christian  life ;  and  it 
is  defaced  with  fewer  conceits  than  most  works  of  the 
same  age,  devoted  to  a  similar  purpose. 

Miss  Peyto  resided  almost  from  her  infancy  with  her 
uncle,  Mr.  Mason,  and  derived,  both  with  regard  to  the 
cultivation  of  her  understanding  and  of  her  heart,  all  the 
advantages  which,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  so  enviable 
a  situation  could  supply.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage 
she  was  noted  for  the  elegance  and  solidity  of  her  acqui- 
sitions, the  soft  and  gentle  fascinations  of  her  manners, 
and  for  the  most  decided  piety. 

Mr.  Good  and  Miss  Peyto  were  married  in  1761  ;  but 
their  union  was  not  of  long  continuance.  She  died  on 
the  17th  of  February,  1766,  at  the  early  age  of  29,  four 
days  after  the  birth  of  her  youngest  child.  She  left  three 
children.  William,  born  Oct.  19th,  1762 ;  John  Mason 
Good,  the  subject  of  these  memoirs,  born  May  25th,  1764  ; 
and  Peter,  born  Feb.  13th,  1766.  William  and  Peter 
are  still  living,  and  reside,  one  at  Bath,  the  other  in 
London. 

Within  two  years  of  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  the 
Rev.  Peter  Good  married  a  second,  the  only  daughter 
of  Mr.  John  Baker,  an  opulent  tradesman,  residing  in 
Cannon  Street,  London.  She  was  a  woman  of  great 
piety  and  extensive  information,  and  discharged  the 
duties  which  devolved  upon  her  with  so  much  prudence, 
affection,  and  delicacy,  that  many  years  elapsed  before 
John  Mason  Good  discovered,  with  equal  surprise  and 
regret,  that  she  was  not  actually  his  mother.  She  had 
one  child,  a  daughter,  who  is  still  living,  and  resides  at 
Charmouth. 

Shortly  after  his  second  marriage,  Mr.  Good  was  in- 
vited to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  a  congregation  at 
Wellingborough,  in  Northamptonshire,  to  which  place  he 
in  consequence  removed  with  his  family.  But  he  did  not 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  It 

remain  there  much  more  than  a  year.  His  elder  brother 
John  dying  unmarried,  and  without  having  made  a  will, 
the  patrimonial  property  and  the  business  at  Romsey 
passed,  by  that  event,  into  his  hands  ;  so  that  it  became 
necessary  for  him  to  quit  Wellingborough,  and  reside  in 
Hampshire.  His  first  thoughts  were  to  carry  on  the  shal- 
loon manufacture,  with  the  assistance  of  his  late  brother's 
superintendent  of  the  works,  until  one  of  his  sons  should 
be  old  enough  to  take  the  business.  But  he  soon  found 
that  this  class  of  occupations  drew  him  too  much  from  his 
favorite  pursuits  ;  and  disposed  of  "  the  concern"  to  some 
individual  accustomed  to  business,  and  able  to  conduct  it 
advantageously. 

He  then  resolved  to  devote  his  time  to  the  education  of 
his  own  children  :  no  sooner  was  this  determination 
known,  however,  than  he  was  earnestly  importuned  by 
relatives  and  friends,  and  by  many  of  the  gentlemen, 
clergy,  and  other  ministers  in  the  neighborhood,  to 
associate  their  children  with  his.  After  much  delibera- 
tion, he  at  length  determined  to  engage  an  assistant  of 
extensive  knowledge  and  sound  principles,  and  to  take 
the  general  superintendence  of  a  few  pupils,  fixing  the 
maximum  at  sixteen  in  number,  including  his  own  sons. 
Thus,  a  desire  to  preserve  his  children  from  the  more 
obvious  evils  of  public  schools,  and  to  supply  them  with 
the  advantage  of  select  associates,  placed  him  in  a  sphere 
of  employment,  but  not  of  heavy  or  anxious  labor,  with  a 
happy  competency,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
sweetly  variegated  scenery  of  the  New  Forest ;  fond  of 
rural  enjoyments,  fond  of  domestic  life,  fond  of  acquiring 
and  of  communicating  knowledge,  fond  of  select  and  in- 
telligent society,  fond  of  benevolent  exertion,  blessed 
with  the  confluence  of  these  streams  of  delight,  and  to  a 
high  degree  proving  that  the  elegant  delineation  of  the 
author  of  the  "  Seasons"  is  as  exquisite  in  real  life  as  it  is 
touching  in  poetry. 

Oh  !  speak  the  joy,  ye  whom  the  sudden  tear 
Surprises  often,  while  ye  look  around. 
And  nothing  meets  your  eye  but  sights  of  bliss  ! 
A  moderate  sufficiency,  content, 
Retirement,  rural  quiet,  friendship,  books, 
Ease,  and  alternate  labor,  useful  life, 
Progressive  virtue,  and  approving  heaven ! 

*2 


18  MEMOIRS    OP 

This  piece  of  family  detail  will  not,  I  trust,  be  thought 
incongruous  with  my  general  narrative,  since  it  shows 
that  the  subject  of  it  commenced  his  studies  in  a  seminary 
conducted  by  his  father.  Here  he,  in  due  time,  made  a 
correct  acquaintance  with  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  French 
languages ;  and  soon  evinced  a  remarkable  desire  to 
drink  deeply  of  the  springs  of  knowledge  and  pleasure 
which  they  laid  open  to  him.  Among  the  books  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  boys,  besides  those  usually  employed 
in  classical  instruction,  were  most  of  the  publications  of 
Mr.  Mason,  mentioned  in  a  preceding  note  ;  and  it  was 
a  great  object  with  Mr.  Good,  not  merely  to  excite  in  the 
minds  of  his  pupils  a  fondness  for  general  reading,  but 
to  explain  to  them  the  best  modes  of  abridging  and  record- 
ing, in  common-place  books,  upon  the  plan  recommended 
by  Mr.  Locke,  the  most  valuable  results  of  their  daily 
researches.  His  own  common-place  book,  to  which  I 
have  already  adverted,  is  an  excellent  proof  of  the  utility 
of  these  repositories ;  and  those  of  his  son,  from  some 
of  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  make  extracts,  serve 
equally  to  shew  how  successfully  his  pupils  adopted  the 
plan. 

They  who  remark  in  how  many  instances  apparently 
slight  circumstances  give  the  essential  determination  to 
character  ;  who  recollect,  for  example,  the  fact  that  both 
the  father  and  the  husband  of  Michael  Angela's  nurse 
were  stone-masons,  and  that  the  chisel  which  she  often 
put  into  his  infant  hands  as  a  plaything,  served  to  create 
the  bent  of  genius  which  issued  in  the  sculptures  of  that 
admirable  artist — or  who  are  aware  how  much  the  poetic 
inspiration  of  the  excellent  Montgomery  was  nurtured 
by  the  early  perusal  of  Cowper's  Poems,  the  only  work 
of  taste  and  imagination  which  he  was  allowed  to  read 
while  at  Fulneck  school — will  not  fail  to  notice  what 
various  particulars  concurred  in  the  arrangements  for 
John  Mason  at  this  susceptible  age,  to  implant  in  his 
mind  those  principles  of  thought,  and  feeling,  and  action, 
which,  ultimately  exfoliated,  produced  that  character  in 
maturity  which  it  is  our  object  to  portray.  From  Mr. 
Mason's  "  Rules  for  Students,"  and  from  the  example  of 
his  father,  he  learned  that  these  "  five  things  are  necessary ; 
a  proper  distribution  and  management  of  his  time  ;  a 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  19 

right  method  of  reading  to  advantage  ;  the  order  and 
regulation  of  his  studies ;  the  proper  way  of  collecting 
and  preserving  useful  sentiments  from  books  and  con- 
versation ;  and  the  improvement  of  his  thoughts  when 
alone  :"  from  Mr.  Mason's  Essays  on  "  the  Principles  of 
Harmony,"  the  illustrations  in  which  are  selected  with 
much  taste  and  judgment,  he  early  acquired  a  relish  for 
easy  and  mellifluous  versification :  from  the  example  of 
his  parents,  and  from  that  of  Mr.  Mason,  which  they 
taught  him  to  contemplate  with  veneration,  he  imbibed 
the  persuasion  that  universal  knowledge  did  not  obstruct 
the- road  to  eminence  in  any  one  pursuit;  and  a  conviction 
equally  strong,  though  not  so  invariably  in  operation,  that 
true  piety  was  susceptible  of  a  happy  union  with  talent 
and  genius  :  and,  superadded  to  all  this,  the  localities  of 
Romsey  enkindled  in  his  bosom  a  love  for  rural  scenery 
and  rural  pleasures,  which  he  never  lost. 

Thus,  in  one  of  his  poems,  written  a  few  years  after 
he  quitted  the  domestic  dwelling  and  the  neighboring 
regions,  productive  of  so  much  genuine  happiness, — after 
describing  the  sweet  flowing  river,  the  bridge  then  new, 
the  lawns,  and  glens,  and  vistas  of  Lord  Palmerston's 
seat  at  Broadlands,  the  ecstacy  with  which  he  engaged 
in  the  game  of  cricket  and  other  athletic  exercises,  he 
exclaims,  with  that  sigh  of  retrospection  which  is  often 
as  natural  to  an  individual  just  starting  into  manhood  as 
to  one  who  feels  himself  sliding  into  the  vale  of  years, — 

Ah  !  scenes  beloved  !  to  purer  days  decreed, 
When  first,  unskill'd,  I  touch'd  the  Dorian  reed. 
Tho'  many  a  sign  has  roll'd  its  chequer'd  hours, 
Since,  rude  of  life,  I  left  your  tranquil  bowers  ; 
And  heaven  has  now  my  devious  lot  assign'd 
Far  from  your  thickets  rough,  or  groves  refin'd — 
Think  not  that  time  or  space  can  e'er  suppress 
Thro'  my  fond  heart,  your  wonted  pow'r  to  bless : 
Erase  the  soft  delights,  'twas  yours  to  prize, 
Or  make  my  soul  those  soft  delights  despise. 
No — while  that  heart  with  circling  life  shall  beat, 
While  swells  that  soul,  or  memory  keeps  her  seat : 
Tho'  heaven  should  doom  me  to  some  desert  shore, 
Where  never  human  exile  trod  before  ; 
Still  fancy's  pen  should  sketch  your  prospects  true, 
Give  all  your  charms,  and  every  joy  renew  ; 


20  MEMOIRS    OP 

Still  paint  your  plains  and  academic  shade, 

Where  Hoijle*  at  times,  at  times  where  Horace  sway'd. 

That  felicitous  alternation  of  study  and  exhilarating 
exercise,  however,  to  which  our  young  aspirant  here 
adverts,  was  not,  in  the  first  instance,  at  all  congenial 
with  his  own  taste  and  wishes.  Such  was  the  delight 
with  which  he  pursued  his  studies  of  every  kind,  that 
it  occasioned  an  entire  absorption  of  thought ;  so  that 
when  he  was  little  more  than  twelve  years  of  age,  his 
habit  of  hanging  over  his  hooks  had  produced  a  curvature 
in  his  back,  equally  unfavorable  to  his  growth  and  his 
health.  His  father,  anxious  to  remove  this  evil,  earnestly 
besought  him  to  join  with  his  fellow  students  in  their 
various  games  and  sports ;  and  ere  long  he  engaged  in 
these  also  with  his  characteristic  ardor,  and  became  as 
healthful,  agile,  and  erect,  as  any  of  his  youthful  asso- 
ciates. 

As  the  season  approached  in  which  it  would  be  proper 
for  Mr.  Good  to  put  his  sons  into  more  immediate  training 
for  the  professions  which  they  respectively  selected,  he 
gradually  diminished  the  number  of  his  pupils,  in  order 
that  when  they  had  quitted  home,  he  should  only  retain 
two  or  three  students,  and  they  of  more  mature  age. 
His  eldest  son  William  was  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  arti- 
cled to  an  attorney  at  Portsmouth  ;  John  Mason,  at  about 
the  same  age,  was  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Johnson,  a  surgeon 
apothecary  at  Gosport,  son  of  the  Rev.  W.  Johnson  of 
Romsey,  before  mentioned  ;  and  the  youngest  son,  Peter, 
was  placed  in  a  commercial  house  at  Portsmouth.  The 
father  being  now  at  liberty  fully  to  resume  the  pas- 
toral duties,  (having,  indeed,  continued  to  preach  fre- 
quently at  Romsey.)  acceded  to  the  invitation  of  a  con- 
gregation at  Havant ;  to  which  place  he  removed  in  the 
year  1779  or  1780.  Here  he  was  within  a  few  miles  of 
all  his  sons,  and  kept  alive  an  intimacy  between  them  and 
his  two  remaining  pupils  ;  one  a  son  of  Sir  John  Carter, 
of  Portsmouth,  the  other  a  son  of  the  Rev.  J.  Renaud, 
then  rector  of  Havant.  This  latter  I  specify  as  an  indi- 
cation of  the  catholic  spirit  which  actuated  these  two 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  different  persuasions.  They 

*  The  writer  who  first  digested  the  laws  of  the  game  of  cricket. 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  21 

seem  to  have  imbibed  the  happy  sentiment  recommended 
by  Matthew  Henry  :  "Herein  a  Christian  commendrth  his 
love,  when  he  loves  those  who  differ  from  him,  and  joins 
in  affection  to  those  with  whom  he  cannot  concur  in 
opinion." 

Our  young  friend  quitted  the  paternal  roof  under  the 
influence  of  all  the  emotions  that  are  usually  excited  on 
such  an  occasion  : 

"  Some  natural  tears  he  dropt ;  but  wip'd  them  soon :" 

the  buoyancy  and  hilarity  of  youth,  and  the  direction 
of  his  ardent  and  aspiring  mind  into  fresh  channels  of 
research,  soon  rendered  him  happy  in  his  new  situation. 
There  is  no  difficulty  in  conceiving  with  what  jocund 
activity  he  would  go  through  the  varied  employments 
and  amusements  of  an  apprentice  to  a  country  surgeon. 
He  quickly  acquired  and  discharged  the  pharmaceutic 
functions  ;  he  studied  the  Clinical  Guide,  and  the  Dispen- 
satories of  that  day,  with  old  Quincy,  and  other  books 
recommended  to  him  by  Mr.  Johnson  ;  he  now  and  then 
snatched  an  evening  hour  to  give  to  his  beloved  cricket, 
and  the  exercise  of  fencing ;  and  [often  did  he  recreate 
his  spirits  by  the  study  of  music,  and  in  playing  the  Ger- 
man flute,  an  instrument  in  the  use  of  which  he  became 
a  very  respectable  proficient.  But  these,  though  they 
evidently  occupied  much  of  his  time,  he  did  not  suffer 
to  engross  the  whole  ;  for  even  at  this  early  age  he  began 
to  exercise  his  powers  in  original  composition,  as  well  as 
to  digest  plans  for  the  augmentation  of  his  literary  and 
scientific  stores.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  composed  a 
"  Dictionary  of  Poetic  Endings,"  and  several  little  poems. 
He  also  drew  up  "  An  Abstracted  View  of  the  Principal 
Tropes  and  Figures  of  Rhetoric,  in  their  Origin  and 
Powers,"  illustrated  by  a  variety  of  examples,  original 
and  collected.  Shortly  afterwards  he  made  himself  mas- 
ter of  the  Italian  language,  thus  becoming  enabled  to 
cull  the  sweets  of  Ariosto,  Tasso,  Dante,  and  the  devo- 
tional Filicaja,  whose  works  he  perused  with  the  most 
enthusiastic  avidity  :  and  simultaneously  he  reduced  into 
active  operation  the  plan  of  common-place  books,  so  in- 
cessantly recommended  by  his  father.  These  he  threw 
into  separate  classifications,  and,  commencing  with  a 


22  MEMOIRS  OF 

series  of  books,  each  of  a  convenient  size  for  a  coat- 
pocket,  he  made  one  or  other  his  constant  companion : 
and  thus,  wherever  he  went,  and  could  get  access  to  a 
book,  he  was  prepared  to  select  from  it,  and  add  to  his 
own  stores.*  The  evidences  of  these  early  labors  now 
lie  by  me.  One  of  the  books  is  entitled  Extracta  ex 
Autoribus  diversis,  and  relates  principally  to  such  topics 
as  would  interest  a  lover  of  poetry  and  the  belles  lettres, 
but  the  spare  corners  are  most  amusingly  interspersed 
with  gleanings  of  professional  lore,  under  the  heads  of 
Spt.  Mendcrcr.,  Vin.  Vermifug.,  Vin.  Antimon.,  Vitr. 
Cerat.  Antimon.  &c. 

The  "  Extracta"  shews  with  what  taste,  as  well  as 
diligence,  the  collector  augmented  his  literary  stores. 
In  this  little  volume  he  has  laid  nearly  a  hundred  authors, 
Greek,  Latin,  Italian,  French,  English,  under  contribu- 
tion. In  others  his  quotations  relate  more  to  chemistry, 
or  the  broader  outlines  of  natural  philosophy.  But  at 
this  early  period  I  trace  no  indications  of  his  having  be- 
gun to  explore  and  classify  the  profusion  of  bounty  and 
beauty  poured  before  us  in  the  vegetable  world,  the  sub- 
lime and  impressive  peculiarities  of  the  mineral  kingdom, 
or  even  the  touching  and  instructive  varieties  and  resem- 
blances which  the  animal  world  exhibits ;  except  so  far 
as  these  latter  fell  under  his  notice  in  the  professional 
study  of  comparative  anatomy. 

Before  our  young  surgeon  had  completed  his  eigh- 
teenth year,  Mr.  Johnson's  health  became  so  indifferent,! 
that  he  was  obliged  to  engage  a  gentleman  of  skill  and 
talent  to  conduct  his  business.  For  this  purpose  he 
selected  Mr.  Babington,  then  an  assistant  surgeon  at 

*  Most  auspiciously  for  him,  at  this  spring-tide  of  his  intellectual  facul- 
ties, his  father  had  recommended  him  to  the  watchful  eye  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Wren,  then  resident  at  Gosport,  with  whom  he  always  spent  his  Sunday 
evening's,  and  to  whose  valuable  library  he  had  free  access. 

t  Since  the  above  was  written,  I  have  ascertained  from  an  authentic 
source,  that  even  before  the  subject  of  this  narrative  had  completed  hissia:- 
teenth  year,  the  bad  health  of  Mr.  Johnson  caused  to  be  thrown  upon  his 
apprentice  an  unusual  weight  of  responsibility  for  one  so  young.  He  had 
to  prepare  the  medicines,  to  enter  an  account  of  them  in  the  several  books, 
to  send  them  to  the  respective  patients,  &,c.,  almost  entirely  without  super- 
intendence. All  this,  however,  served  but  to  consolidate  and  establish  the 
habits  of  order  and  regularity  in  which  he  had  been  trained  ;  and  tiius  sup- 
plied another  link  in  the  chain  of  circumstances  which  operated  in  the  for- 
mation of  his  character. 


DR.    MASOX    GOOD.  23 

Haslar  Hospital,  and  since  well  known  as  a  physician  of 
high  reputation  in  London.  Mr.  Babington  was  older 
by  a  few  years  than  Mr.  Good  ;  but  the  disparity  was  not 
jsuch  as  to  prevent  their  forming  for  each  other  a  cordial 
esteem.  Since  the  death  of  Dr.  Good,  Dr.  Babington,  on 
being  asked  by  a  friend  of  mine,  as  to  the  impression 
which  he  retained  of  his  early  disposition  and  habits, 
he  replied,  that  when  he  first  became  acquainted  with  him 
at  Gosport.  he  was  not,  he  thinks,  quite  seventeen  years 
of  age  ;  that  he  was  of  excellent  character,  both  of  moral 
and  intellectual  qualities ;  that  he  was  a  lively,  quick 
youth,  of  very  ready  apprehension,  and  with  a  mind  even 
then  fully  imbued  with  more  than  the  elements  of  classi- 
cal literature  ;  that  his  professional  ardor  was  considera- 
ble, and  his  capacity  and  taste  for  scientific  acquirements 
rapidly  developing  themselves. 

Satisfactory  plans  for  the  efficient  cooperation  of  these 
two  individuals  had  scarcely  been  formed,  when  the  death 
of  Mr.  Johnson,  and  opening  prospects  of  another  kind 
for  both,  prevented  them  from  being  reduced  into  action. 
A  favorable  opportunity  presented  itself  at  this  juncture 
for  Mr.  Good's  reception  into  the  family  of  a  surgeon  of 
great  skill  and  extensive  practice  at  Havant,  where  his 
father  then  resided,  he  removed  thither  ;  and  thus  was 
permitted,  though  only  for  a  few  months,  again  to  enjoy 
the  full  advantages,  v.-hich  he  had  long  known  how  to  val- 
ue, of  the  paternal  advice.  A  few  occasional  visits  to  his 
grandfather,  Mr.  Peyto,  still  living  at  Coggeshall,  prepar- 
ed the  way  for  his  entering  into  partnership  with  a  Mr. 
Deeks,  a  reputable  surgeon  at  Sudbury,  in  the  neighbor- 
ing county.  To  quality  himself  as  far  as  possible  for  the 
duties  he  was  about  to  undertake,  he  spent  the  autumn 
and  winter  of  the  year  1783,  and  the  spring  of  1734,  in 
London  ;  attending  the  lectures  of  Dr.  George  Fordyce, 
Dr.  Lowder,  and  other  eminent  professors  of  the  various 
departments  of  medical  science  and  practice ;  taking 
down  those  lectures  very  accurately  in  short-hand  (which 
he  wrote  with  great  neatness  and  facility)  and  afterwards 
transcribing  them  fully  into  larger  books,  with  marginal 
spaces,  on  which  he  might  record  subsequently  the  results 
of  his  reading,  as  well  as  of  his  professional  experience. 


24  MEMOIRS    OP 

The  greater  portion  of  the  papers  and  memoranda  he  thus 
collected,  were  carefully  preserved,  and  are  still  extant. 

Though  he  probably  quitted  home,  on  this  occasion, 
with  a  heart  eager  in  expectation  and  buoyant  with  hope, 
he  was  too  much  influenced  by  the  sensibilities  enkindled 
by  domestic  life,  and  too  fully  aware  of  the  evils  to  which 
he  might  be  exposed,  to  leave  the  scenes  and  the  associa- 
tions of  so  many  happy  years  without  a  pang. 

On  his  arrival  in  London,  he  found  a  few  associates  of 
kindred  minds ;  and  amongst  them  a  Mr.  Godfrey,  son 
of  a  surgeon  at  Coggeshall,  and  devoted  to  the  same  pro- 
fession. With  them  he  ardently  pursued  his  theoretical 
and  practical  inquiries,  not  merely  attending  the  lectures, 
and  going  assiduously  through  the  hospital  practice,  but 
becoming  an  active  member  of  a  society  for  the  promotion 
of  natural  philosophy,  as  well  as  medical  science,  then 
existing  among  the  students  at  Guy's  Hospital.  Such  an 
institution  lay  so  naturally  in  the  current  of  his  investiga- 
ting intellect,  that  he  soon  distinguished  himself  by  the 
discussions  into  which  he  entered,  and  the  essays  which 
he  prepared.  One  of  these,  "  An  Investigation  of  the 
Theory  of  Earthquakes,"  is  now  on  my  table.  It  is  a 
closely  written  manuscript,  on  44  quarto  pages,  full  of  in- 
genuity and  research,  but  employed  in  defending  what 
all  philosophers  now  regard  as  an  erroneous  theory.  I 
, refer  to  it  simply  for  the  purpose  of  recording,  at  the  same 
time,  that  it  yields  unquestionable  evidence  of  his  having 
consulted,  previously  to  writing  it,  (atjirst-hatid,  and  not 
through  the  invention  of  synopses  or  histories,)  all  that 
fairly  bore  upon  the  inquiry,  in  the  works  of  Pliny,  Sene- 
ca, Lucretius,  Sim.  Portias,  Pontoppidan,  Nollet,  Amon- 
tons,  Bertram!,  Beccaria,  Stukcly,  Mitchell,  Franklin, 
Priestley,  Hamilton,  Henley,  Williams,  &,c.  The  style 
of  this  juvenile  essay  is  good  ;  but  it  is  not  distinguished 
(nor  indeed  would  it  be  natural  to  expect  it)  by  the  ease, 
freedom,  and  spirit  which  marked  its  author's  latter  pro- 
ductions. 

Having  terminated  his  winter  and  spring  course  at  the 
hospitals,  and  spent  the  earlier  part  of  the  summer  in  col- 
lecting such  professional  information  as  London  then 
supplied,  he  commenced  his  duties  at  Sudbury,  in  July 
or  August,  1784,  that  is,  shortly  after  he  had  completed 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  25 

his  twentieth  year.*  At  so  early  an  age,  many  obstacles 
to  his  gaining  the  confidence  of  the  inhabitants  would 
naturally  present  themselves.  But  he  had  the  advantage 
of  strong  recommendations  from  his  hospital  friends,  with 
the  most  eminent  of  whom  he  laid  a  plan  for  regular 
correspondence  on  professional  topics;  and  he  had  the 
farther  advantage  of  great  professional  activity,  cheerful 
and  engaging  manners,  and  a  soul  ready  to  evince  the 
liveliest  sympathy  in  cases  where  it  was  most  needed. 

Some  striking  proofs  of  his  surgical  skill,  which  occur- 
red shortly  after  his  establishment  at  Sudbury,  gave,  how- 
ever, an  extent  and  solidity  to  his  reputation  which  could 
not  have  been  anticipated.  The  result  was,  that,  in  a 
few  months,  Mr.  Deeks,  left  the  business  entirely  in  his 
hands.  By  the  time  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
his  thoughts  aspired  to  a  partnership  of  a  more  endearing 
kind.  His  frequent  visits  to  Coggeshall  had  brought  him 
into  habits  of  intimacy  with  the  family  of  his  friend  Mr. 
Godfrey,  already  mentioned,  and  had  taught  him  that 
there  were  emotions  of  a  higher  order,  and  a  livelier 
glow,  than  any  which  he  had  hitherto  experienced.  Miss 
Godfrey,  the  sister  of  that  friend,  is  described,  by  those 
who  still  recollect  her,  as  a  young  lady  of  accomplished 
mind  and  fascinating  manners.  Before  she  had  comple- 
ted her  nineteenth  year  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Good,  who 
was  then  just  twenty-one.  Enjoying  all  the  happiness 
w.b.ich  youth  and  virtue  can  taste  at  such  a  season,  and 
ardently  predicting  a  long  continuance  of  his  bliss,  he  thus 
expressed  himself, — 

*  About  the  same  lime,  or  shortly  afterwards,  the  Rev.  Peler  Good  re- 
moved from  Havant  to  Bishop's  Hull,  near  Charmouth.  where  lie  continued 
to  discharge  the  pastoral  duties  over  a  respectable  church  and  congrega- 
tion, until  death  put  a  period  to  his  useful  labors  in  the  year  1805  or  1806 
He  was  doubtless  a  man  of  rich  intellectual  qualifications ;  and  from  several 
of  his  manuscript  papers,  which  I  have  been  permitted  to  read,  it  appears 
that  his  religious  sentiments  were  correct,  and  his  spirit  truly  catholic  and 
liberal,  such  as  in  "  the  olden  time"  was  evinced  by  Mr.  Howe,  and  a  few 
others,  who,  as  that  great  man  expresses  it,  were  animated  "  by  agenerout 
love,  not  to  Christians  of  this  or  that  party  only,  but  to  all  in  whom  the  true 
essentials  of  Christianity  are  found  ;"  a  spirit  which,  in  proportion  as  it 
prevails,  will  "  make  religion  a  more  lively,  powerful,  awful,  amiable  thing, 
more  grateful  to  God,  more  sweet,  influential,  tranquillizing,  and  elevating 
to  men." 


26 


MEMOIRS    OF 


PARADISE. 


When  first  in  Eden's  balmy  bow'rs 
Man  pass'd  his  solitary  hours 

In  bliss  but  half  complete  : 
To  heav'n  he  rais'd  his  anxious  pray'r, 
And  sought  some  gentler  form  to  share 

The  rich  luxuriant  seat. 

That  gentler  form  immediate  rose  ; 
The  sire  of  man  with  rapture  glows, 

He  weds  the  lovely  prize  : 
Ah  !  doom'd  to  changes  too  perverse: — 
His  very  blessing  proves  a  curse — 

His  Eden  instant  flies. 

Not  thus  for  me  this  lot  of  woe, 
Which  Adam  first  sustain'd  below  ; 

The  partial  fates  decree 
That  bridal  state — those  genial  hours, 
Which  lost  him  Eden's  balmy  bow'rs, 

Give  Eden  all  to  me. 

But,  alas !  "  a  worm  was  in  the  bud  of  this  sweet 
rose."  In  little  more  than  six  months  after  his  marriage 
his  youthful  bride  died  of  consumption  ;  and  he  learned 
from  sad  experience,  how  correct  was  the  presentiment 
that  dictated  these  lines  of  a  brother  poet : — 

"  Dearly  bought,  the  hidden  treasure, 

Finer  feelings  can  bestow ; 
Chords  that  vibrate  sweetest  pleasure 

Thrill  the  deepest  notes  of  woe.''  Burns. 

Nearly  four  years  from  this  event  Mr.  Good  remained 
a  widower.  His  professional  occupations,  however,  which 
now  began  to  extend  themselves  into  the  surrounding 
villages  together  with  the  soothing  influence  of  time  and 
of  cheerful  society,  in  a  few  months  restored  to  his  spirits 
their  native  buoyancy.  At  this  period  of  his  life  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  he  did  not  bend  his  mind  to  any 
regular  course  of  study  :  he  perused  with  the  utmost 
eagerness  everything  that  was  new  to  him,  and  he  continu- 
ed his  early  acquired  habit  of  recording  all  that  he  thought 
striking,  or  useful,  or  essentially  original,  in  one  or  other 
of  his  common-place  books  ;  but  his  reading  was  desulto- 
ry, and  without  any  fixed  object. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  27 

Early  in  the  year  1790,  Mr.  Good  had  the  happiness  to 
become  acquainted  with  a  gentleman  of  the  same  profes- 
sion, and  in  many  respects  of  a  kindred  mind,  Dr.  Na- 
than Drake,*  well  known  to  the  public  as  the  accom- 
plished and  amiable  author  of  "  Literary  Hours,"  "  The 
Gleaner,"  and  other  esteemed  works,  devoted  to  the 
illustration  of  tasteful  and  elegant  literature.  Their  con- 
geniality of  sentiment,  and  similarity  of  pursuits,  laid  the 
basis  of  a  warm  and  permanent  friendship ;  which  con- 
tinued without  interruption  or  remission,  until  it  was 
closed  by  death.  Each  stimulating  the  other  to  an  ex- 
tended activity  of  research,  and  each  frequently  announc- 
ing to  the  other  the  success  which  attended  his  exertions, 
or  each  as  frequently  exhibiting  to  the  other  some  new 
acquisition  of  knowledge,  some  fresh  specimen  of  poetic 
composition,  either  original  or  translated  ;  and  all  this 
in  the  may-day  of  life,  when  with  regard  to  both,  the 
buds  and  blossoms  of  thought,  and  the  varied  foliage  of 
imagination,  were  starting  forth  with  a  vigorous  exuber- 
ance,— could  not  but  be  productive  of  the  most  beneficial 
effects.  Mr.  Good  greatly  enlarged  his  acquaintance  with 
the  writers  of  Greece  and  Rome,  at  the  same  time  he 
took  a  more  extensive  view  of  the  poetry  and  literature  of 
France  and  Italy ;  and,  as  though  these  were  not  enough 
to  engage  all  the  powers  of  his  mind,  he  commenced  the 
study  of  Hebrew,  a  language  of  which  he  soon  acquired 
a  clear  and  critical  knowledge. 

In  l?<^9,  Mr.  Good  again  rendered  his  home  "cheer- 
ful" by  a  second  marriage.  The  object  of  his  choice 
was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Fenn,  Esq.  of  Ballingdon 
Hall,  an  opulent  and  highly  respectable  banker  at  Sud- 
bury.  The  experience  of  thirty-eight  years  amply  proved 
with  what  success  the  refined  friendship  of  domestic  life 
"  redoubleth  joys,  and  cutteth  griefs  in  sunder."  Here, 
however,  I  must,  though  with  reluctance,  check  my  pen. 
Of  the  six  children  who  were  the  result  of  the  marriage, 
only  two  survive,  botli  daughters  ;  and  I  am  conscious 
that  I  cannot  more  fully  accord  with  the  wishes  and  feel- 
ings of  these  my  esteemed  friends,  (each  of  whom  evinces 

*  Dr.  Drake  at  the  commencement  of  this  intimacy,  lived  at  Sudbury ; 
but  in  little  more  than  a  year  removed  to  HadJeigh,  in  Suffolk,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided. 


MEMOIRS  OF 


as  great  a  solicitude  to  avoid  praise  as  to  deserve  it)  than 
by  mentioning  their  names  as  little  as  possible  during  the 
progress  of  this  narrative. 

Some  time  in  the  year  1792,  Mr.  Good,  either  by  be- 
coming legally  bound  for  some  friends,  or  by  lending 
them  a  large  sum  of  money,  under  the  expectation  that 
it  would  be  soon  returned,  but  which  they  were  unable 
to  repay,  was  brought  into  circumstances  of  considerable 
pecuniary  embarrassment.  Mr.  Fenn  most  cheerfully 
stepped  forward  to  remove  his  difficulties,  and  lent  him 
partial  aid,  an  aid,  indeed,  which  would  have  been  ren- 
dered completely  effectual,  had  not  Mr.  Good  resolved 
that  perplexities,  springing  from  what  he  regarded  as  his 
own  want  of  caution,  (though  in  no  other  respect  open 
to  censure,)  should  be  removed  principally  by  his  own 
exertions.  Thus  it  happened  that  a  pecuniary  loss,  from 
the  pressure  of  which  men  with  minds  of  an  ordinary 
cast  would  have  gladly  escaped  as  soon  as  assistance  was 
offered,  became  with  him  the  permanent  incentive  to  a 
course  of  literary  activity,  which,  though  it  was  inter- 
cepted repeatedly  by  the  most  extraordinary  failures  and 
disappointments,  issued  at  length  in  their  complete  re- 
moval, and  in  the  establishment  of  a  high  and  richly 
deserved  reputation.  And  thus,  by  the  sombrous  vicissi- 
tude of  his  providential  dispensations,  the  heavenly 


Prepar'd  the  soil ; — and  silver-tongued  Hope 
Promis'd  another  harvest." 

Mr.  Good's  exertions,  on  this  occasion,  were  most  per- 
severing and  diversified.  He  wrote  plays ;  he  made 
translations  from  the  French,  Italian,  &/c. ;  he  composed 
poems  ;  he  prepared  a  series  of  philosophical  essays  :  but 
all  these  efforts,  though  they  soothed  his  mind  and  occu- 
pied his  leisure,  were  unproductive  of  the  kind  of  benefit 
which  he  sought.  Having  no  acquaintance  with  the 
managers  of  the  London  theatres,  or  with  influential  men 
connected  with  them,  he  could  not  get  any  of  his  trage- 
dies or  comedies  brought  forward  ;  and  being  totally 
unknown  to  the  London  booksellers,  he  could  obtain  no 
purchasers  for  his  literary  works  :  so  that  the  manuscript 
copies  of  these  productions,  which  in  the  course  of  two 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  29 

or  three  years  had  become  really  numerous,  remained 
upon  his  hands.  Yet  nothing  damped  his  ardor.  He  at 
length  opened  a  correspondence  with  the  editor  of  a 
London  newspaper,  and  became  a  regular  contributor  to 
one  of  the  Reviews  :  and  though  these,  together,  brought 
him  no  adequate  remuneration,  they  served  as  incentives 
to  hope  and  perseverance.* 

Mr.  Good's  newspaper  connexion  was  with  "  THE 
WORLD,"  the  Morning  Post  of  that  day,  conducted  by 
Captain  Topham,  a  man  whose  character  was  too  noto- 
riously marked  to  need  any  delineation  now.  The  com- 
munications of  our  "  Rural  Bard,"  as  he  was  usually 
denominated  in  "  The  World,"  ornamented  its  poet's 
corner :  two  of  them  alone  are  inserted  here,  as  speci- 
mens. 

ODE    TO    HOPE. 

O  gentle  HOPE  !  whose  lovely  form 
The  plunging  sea-boy,  midst  the  storm, 
Sees  beckoning  from  the  strand, — 

*  Several  of  the  manuscripts  are  still  in  existence,  and  I  shall  throw  into 
this  note  the  titles  of  such  of  them  as  I  have  read  : — 

"  History  of  Alcidalis  and  Zelida,"  translated  from  a  fragment  of  Voi- 
ture. 

"  Ethelbert,  a  Tragedy ;"  some  portions  of  it  written  with  great  spirit. 

"The  Revolution,  a  Comedy;"  composed  in  lively,  easy  dialogue  ;  but 
not  possessing  enough  of  ludicrous  incident  to  excite  the  '  broad  grin,' 
which  seems  essential  to  the  success  of  modern  comedy. 

"  The  Female  Mirror,  a  Didactic  Poem ;  to  which  are  added,  a  Transla- 
tion of  two  Odes  of  Horace,  lately  discovered  in  the  Palatine  Library  at 
Rome  ;  and  an  Elegy  on  Sensibility  of  Mind."  Some  passages  in  this 
latter  poem  are  truly  elegant  and  expressive. 

"  A  Poetical  Epistle  on  the  Slave-trade."  This,  I  believe,  received 
some  corrections  from  the  hand  of  Dr.  Drake  ;  but  was  never  published. 

"  The  Summer  Recess,  or  a  View  of  the  World  at  a  Distance."  This 
poem  is  in  three  books,  and  was  evidently  composed  with  Virgil's  Georgics 
in  the  author's  eye.  Several  of  its  descriptions  of  rural  scenery,  ana  of 
rustic  occupations  and  amusements  are  highly  picturesque. 

Ten  Essays.  1.  On  the  Being  of  a  God.  2.  On  the  Origin  of  Evil. 
3.  On  Liberty  and  Necessity.  4.  On  Providence.  5.  On  a  Future  State. 
6.  On  the  Credibility  of  Revelation.  7.  On  the  Homogeneity  of  Animal 
Life.  8  and  9.  On  the  Social  Offices  and  Affections.  10.  On  Happiness. 
Most  of  these  Essays  are  well  written  ;  but  the  Subjects  are  treated  more 
in  the  strain  of  philosophy  than  of  theology,  and  several  of  them  are  tinged 
with  sentiments  which  their  author,  in  maturer  life,  most  cordially  disap- 
proved. One,  however,  which  I  think  Mr.  Good  would  have  preserved, 
will  be  inserted  in  the  text. 

*3 


30  MEMOIRS  OP 

« 

If  yet  thy  smile  can  chace  the  sighs 
From  love  and  adverse  fate  which  rise, 
O  view  this  lifted  hand  ! 

Thro'  dire  despair's  tremendous  shade, 
Supported  by  thy  secret  aid, 

The  troubled  spirit  flies. 
Thy  sight  sustains  his  drooping  pow'rs, 
Thy  finger  points  to  brighter  hours, 

And  clears  the  distant  skies. 

Then  haste  thee,  HOPE,  and  o'er  my  head, 
While  yet  impervious  tempests  spread, 

Obtrude  thy  magic  form  : 
O  give  me,  ere  gay  youth  decline, 
To  view  the  fair  ZELINDA  mine, 

And  I'll  despise  the  storm. 


HYMN  REHEARSED  AT  THE  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FUNERAL 

OF  GENERAL  LA  HOCHE. 

Les  Femmes. 

Du  haut  de  la  voute  Sternelle, 
Jeune  heros,  recois  nos  pleurs. 
Que  notre  doleur  solemnelle 
T'offre  des  hymnes  et  des  fleurs. 
Ah  !  sur  ton  urne  sepulcrale 
Gravons  ta  gloire  et  nos  i egrets  ; 
Et  que  la  palme  triumphale 
S'eleve  au  sein  de  tes  cypres. 

Les  Viellards. 

Aspirez  a  ses  destinees, 
Guerriers,  defenseurs  de  nos  lois, 
Tous  ses  jours  furent  annees  ; 
Tous  ses  faits  furent  des  exploits. 
La  mort,  qui  frappa  sa  jeunesse, 
Respectera  son  souvenir ; 
S'il  ii'atteignit  point  la  vieillesse, 
II  sera  vieux  dans  1'avenir. 

Les  Guerriers. 

Sur  les  rochers  de  1'Armorique, 
II  terrassa  la  trahison  ; 
II  vainquit  1'hydre  fanatique, 
Semant  la  flamme  et  le  poison. 
La  guerre  civille  etouffee 
Cede  a  son  bras  liberateur  ; 
Et  ce'st-lji  le  plus  beau  trophee 
D'un  heros  pacificateur. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD. 

Oui,  tu  seras  notre  module  ; 
Tu  n'as  point  terni  tes  lauriers. 
Ta  voix  librc,  ta  voix  fidelle, 
Est  toujours  pr  sente  aux  guerriers 
Aux  champs  d'honneur  ou  vit  ta  gloire, 
Ton  ombre,  au  milieu  de  nos  rangs, 
Saura  captiver  la  victoire, 
Et  punir  encor  les  tyrans. 


TRANSLATION    OF    THE    PRECEDING. 


Women. 

From  heaven's  high  vault  with  stars  o'erspread, 

HERO  !  accept  the  tears  we  shed : 

And  let  the  incense  of  our  sighs 

To  thee  like  hymns  and  flowers  arise, 

Ah  !  round  thine  urn  our  griefs  be  train'd, 

Mixt  with  the  glories  thou  hast  gain'd ! 

And  let  full  many  a  cypress  tree 

Spring  round  the  laurel  rear'd  to  thee ! 

Old  Men. 

Warriors  !  the  Laws'  brave  guardians ! — aim 
To  rival  his  immortal  fame. 
His  days  were  ages — and  each  deed 
Claim'd  from  the  world  a  hero's  meed. 
The  scythe  of  death  that  struck  his  prime, 
Still  spares  his  name  to  endless  time  ; 
And  though  with  ancients  not  enroll'd, 
Posterity  shall  see  him  old. 

Warriors. 

O'er  ARMORICA'S  rocks  he  flew, 
When  TREASON  rous'd  the  rebel  crew  : 
There,  spreading  poison,  spreading  fire, 
He  triurnph'd  o'er  the  hydra  dire. 
The  strife  subdued  through  all  the  land 
He  scatter'd  blessings  from  his  hand  : 
Then  shone  the  godlike  Hero  most ; 
For  peace  is  chief  the  Hero's  boast. 

Yes — we  will  draw  our  lives  from  thee ! 

Thy  brow  no  tarnish 'd  laurels  bound  ; 
Thy  faithful  voice,  thy  voice  most  free, 

Through  ev'ry  soldier's  ear  shall  sound. 
In  thine  own  fields  where  glory  led, 

Thy  shade,  amidst  our  ranks  of  war, 
Shall  give  us  conquest  as  we  tread, 

And  fell  the  tyrants  we  abhor. 


31 


32  MEMOIRS   OP 

Among  the  Essays  composed  by  Mr.  Good  in  the 
midst  of  these  varied  exertions,  that  which  is  devoted  to 
the  defence  of  a  particular  providence,  is,  in  my  judg- 
ment, one  of  the  best.  He  does  not  seem,  however,  to 
have  attended  to  the  discussions  relative  to  "  the  spring 
of  action  in  Deity,"  in  which  Balguy,  Bayes,  and  Grove, 
each  defended  a  separate  theory.  Balguy,  as  many  will 
recollect,  refers  all  the  divine  actions  to  rectitude,  Bayes 
to  benevolence,  and  Grove  to  wisdom.  Yet  both  Grove 
and  Balguy  acknowledge  that  the  communication  of  hap- 
piness is  so  noble  an  end,  that  the  Deity  unquestionably 
keeps  it  always  in  view  ;  while  the  wisdom  adduced  in 
Grove's  theory  differs  very  little  from  the  rectitude  as- 
sumed as  the  basis  of  Balguy's.  Had  Mr.  Good  been 
acquainted  with  the  different  branches  of  this  controversy, 
the  commencement  of  his  own  disquisition  would  proba- 
bly have  been  somewhat  modified  :  and  if,  instead  of 
starting  from  a  doubtful  position,  he  had  simply  reasoned 
from  a  proposition  in  which  all  agree,  viz.  that  God 
always  does  that  which  is  right  and  good,  the  general 
strain  of  his  reasoning  would  have  been  the  same,  while 
the  exposure  of  Hume's  sophistry,  would,  I  think,  have 
been  complete. 

ON    PROVIDENCE. 

"Whatever  arguments  may  be  adduced  in  proof  of  the 
existence  of  a  Deity,  may  likewise  be  adduced  in  proof 
of  the  existence  of  a  general  and  particular  providence. 
If  it  be  true,  and  no  one,  I  believe,  will  be  disposed  to 
doubt  it,  that  every  power  we  meet  with  in  the  universe 
ought  originally  to  be  attributed  to  the  great  First  Cause 
of  all  things,  it  follows  inevitably  that  this  great  First 
Cause  must  itself  be  all-active  and  all-powerful.  And 
if,  again,  it  be  true,  as  I  have  endeavored  to  demonstrate 
on  another  occasion,  that  the  principal,  not  to  say  the 
only  motive  by  which  the  Deity  could  be  excited  in  the 
creation  of  any  order  of  beings,  was  their  own  individual 
happiness,  it  follows,  moreover,  that  the  constant  exertion 
of  this  power  and  activity  must  be  employed  in  the  pro- 
motion and  continuance  of  that  happiness.  It  follows 
therefore,  again,  that  the  Creator  must,  of  necessity,  be 
employed  in  a  course  of  general  and  uninterrupted  provi- 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  33 

dence.  But  '  we  cannot  conceive,  (as  Dr.  Price  justly 
observes,)  any  reasons  that  can  influence  the  Deity  to 
exercise  any  providence  over  the  world,  which  are  not, 
likewise,  reasons  for  extending  it  to  all  that  happens  in 
the  world.'*  A  providence  that  neglects  or  forsakes  indi- 
viduals is  incomplete,  and  inadmissible  ;  because  incom- 
petent to  the  conception  of  a  perfect  being.  The  provi- 
dence, therefore,  which  is  a  general,  must,  at  the  same 
time,  be  a  particular  one. 

"  Whether,  indeed,  the  constant  harmony  and  regu- 
larity observable  in  nature,  with  all  the  various  events 
that  occur  around  us,  be  the  effect  of  original  appoint- 
ment at  the  first  formation  of  the  universe ;  foreseen  and 
predetermined  ;  or  the  result  of  one  continued  energy 
incessantly  protracted — is  not,  perhaps,  fully  to  be  de- 
cided, and  is,  morever,  totally  irrelevant  to  our  present 
purpose.  Every  individual  circumstance  that  has  since 
occurred,  both  in  the  moral  and  physical  departments  of 
creation,  must,  even  on  the  first  hypothesis,  have  been 
clearly  represented  to  a  Being  of  universal  prescience  : 
and  without  obtaining  his  approbation  could  never  have 
taken  effect.  However,  therefore,  philosophers  may  dif- 
fer in  their  ideas  on  this  subject;  and  though  the  doctrine 
of  incessant  interposition  must,  on  many  accounts,  appear 
the  most  plausible  ;  yet  each  may  contend  with  nearly 
equal  propriety  for  the  existence  of  a  providence. 

"  Such  considerations,  however,  have  not  been  allowed 
their  due  weight  and  importance  by  all  philosophers. 
Some  have  totally  denied  the  existence  of  any  providence 
at  all ;  while  others,  acknowledging  the  existence  of  a 
general  providence,  have  denied  that  it  is  in  any  instance 
particular,  or  exerts  any  influence  over  individuals. 

"  I  know  of  but  three  objections  that  can  be  fairly 
urged  either  by  the  one  side  or  the  other,  in  opposition  to 
the  doctrine  in  dispute.  The  first  is,  that  the  Deity  is 
incapable  of  exercising  such  a  power :  the  second,  that 
it  would  be  derogatory  to  him  :  the  third,  that  its  exertion 
must  be  inconsistent  with  the  liberty  of  moral  election. 

"  There  is  no  author  I  am  acquainted  with  who  has 
advanced  the  first  objection  with  so  much  success  and 

*  Dissertation  on  Providence. 


34  MEMOIRS  OF 

authority  as  Mr.  Hume  :*  and  it  will  be  to  his  writings, 
therefore,  I  shall  direct  myself  more  particularly  in  my 
reply.  The  position  he  so  much  labors  to  demonstrate 
appears  to  be  this  :  that  even  allowing  a  Deity,  he  does 
not  seem  to  have  been,  and  we  have  no  reason  to  suppose 
he  was  possessed  of  more  than  just  that  determinate 
quantity  of  power  which  was  requisite  to  produce  the 
creation ;  the  exertion  of  which  obliged  him  to  sink  into 
rest  through  mere  debility,  and  leave  his  scarcely  finished 
undertaking  to  itself  and  its  own  imperfect  powers  of 
mutual  dependence. 

"  In  support  of  this  extraordinary  proposition,  the  ar- 
guments he  adduces  are  the  following. 

"  '  Causes  are,  at  all  times,  proportioned  to  their  con- 
sequent effects,  and  ought  not  to  be  supposed  to  possess 
any  qualities  but  what  are  exactly  sufficient  to  produce 
them.  A  body  of  ten  ounces  raised  in  any  scale,  may 
serve  as  a  proof  that  the  counterbalancing  weight  exceeds 
ten  ounces  ;  but  can  never  afford  a  reason  that  it  exceeds 
a  hundred.  The  same  rule  holds  true  universally,  whether 
the  cause  assigned  be  brute  unconscious  matter,  or  a 
rational  intelligent  being.  No  one,  merely  from  a  sight 
of  one  of  Zeuxis's  pictures,  could  know  that  he  was  also 
a  statuary  or  architect,  and  was  an  artist  no  less  skilful 
in  stone  or  marble  than  in  colors.  The  talents  and  taste 
displayed  in  the  particular  work  before  us,  these,  and 
only  these,  we  may  safely  conclude  the  workman  to  be 
possessed  of. 

" '  The  chief  or  sole  argument,  for  a  divine  existence 
is  derived  from  the  general  order  of  nature  ;  which  is  an 
argument  drawn  from  effects  to  causes.  Every  argument, 
therefore,  deduced  from  causes  to  effects  must  be  a  gross 
sophism,  since  it  is  impossible  to  know  anything  of  the 
cause  but  what  has  been  antecedently,  not  only  inferred, 
but  discovered  to  the  full  in  the  effect. — On  the  same 
account,  we  cannot,  according  to  the  rules  of  just  reason- 
ing, ascend  from  the  effect  to  the  cause,  and  thence  re- 
turn back  from  that  cause  with  any  new  inference  ;  or, 
making  any  addition  to  the  effect  as  we  find  it,  establish 
any  new  principles  of  conduct  and  behavior. 

*  Vide  Sect.  11.  On  a  Particular  Providence  and  a  Future  State. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  35 

" '  Though,  from  a  knowledge  of  the  actions  and  sen- 
timents of  the  human  species,  we  may,  with  propriety, 
infer  more  than  the  simple  appearance  of  objects  present- 
ed to  us  would  otherwise  give  us  a  right  to  infer  :  as,  for 
instance,  from  a  half  finished  edifice,  and  the  materials 
for  building  scattered  around  it,  we  might  presume  that 
such  an  edifice  would  soon  be  completed,  and  receive  all 
the  further  improvements  which  art  could  bestow  upon  it; 
yet  we  are  not  allowed  the  same  liberty  of  ascending 
from  the  effect  to  the  cause,  and  thence  descending  from 
the  same  cause  to  infer  other  effects,  in  any  of  our  argu- 
ments respecting  the  Deity ;  since  the  Deity  is  only 
known  to  us  by  his  actual  productions,  and  since  we  are 
ignorant  of  the  motives  by  which  he  is  actuated,  and  the 
sentiments  by  which  he  is  governed.'  * 

"  It  is  not  strictly  true,  however,  in  the  first  place,  that 
the  sole  or  even  the  chief  argument  in  proof  of  the  exis- 
tence of  a  Divine  Being  is  derived  from  the  general  order 
of  nature.  The  existence  of  man  alone  is  sufficient  to 
prove  the  existence  of  a  Deity,  and  to  demonstrate  his 
perfections.  And  this  simple  fact,  without  any  addition 
whatsoever,  has  been  successfully  selected  by  Mr.  Locke 
for  this  very  purpose  j  and  been  made  the  means  of  deduc- 
ing a  proof  of  such  an  existence,  equal,  as  he  himself  ex- 
presses it, '  to  that  of  mathematical  certainty.'!  Wherever 
a  human  being  exists,  if  in  the  possession  of  his  reason,  he 
must  have  an  undoubted  perception  and  certainty  of  his 
existence  ;  he  must  moreover  be  certain  that  nothing 
could  possibly  proceed  from  nothing,  and  he  must  be 
therefore  certain  there  must  be  something  uncreated  and 
eternal.  That  which  is  uncreated  and  eternal  must,  again, 
possess  all  the  powers,  and  that  in  an  infinite  degree,  as 
being  devoid  of  opposition  or  obstruction  which  can  pos- 
sibly be  traced  in  the  being  that  is  finite  and  created.  It 

*  "  Since  he  is  a  Being,  (as  Mr.  H.  continues.)  who  discovers  himself  only 
by  some  faint  traces  or  outlines,  beyond  which  we  have  no  authority  to 
ascribe  to  him  any  attribute  or  perfection  ;  and  a  being  respecting  whom 
what  we  imagine  to  be  a  superior  perfection  may  really  be  a  defect." 

In  the  delineation  of  these  arguments,  I  hough  I  have  been  under  the  neces- 
sity of  contracting  and  condensing  them  from  the  original,!  am  not  con- 
icious  of  having  injured  their  strength  ;  and  I  have  used  Mr.  Hume's  own 
expressions  as  often  as  I  could  possibly  introduce  them. 

f  Essay  on  Human  Understanding,  b.  i.  ch.  10. 


36  MEMOIRS    OF 

must  be,  therefore,  omnipotent,  and  all-intelligent.  From 
the  possession  of  which  intelligence  it  is  easy  to  de- 
duce every  other  attribute,  whether  moral  or  physical. 
The  argument  a  priori  must,  at  all  times,  be  at  least  equal 
to  that  deduced  from  effects  to  causes. 

"  But,  acceding  to  the  position  that  all  our  arguments 
for  a  divine  existence  are  derived  from  the  general  order 
of  nature,  and  the  display  of  objects  around  us  ;  and  that 
this  general  order  and  display  of  objects  is  the  effect,  and 
the  Deity  himself  the  cause ;  it  is  far  from  being  a  neces- 
sary conclusion,  and  by  no  means  invariable,  that  the 
cause  in  this  instance  is  adjusted  precisely  to  the  effect 
exhibited,  and  possesses  no  power  or  property  whatso- 
ever but  what  is  therein  displayed. 

"  In  brute  conscious  matter,  it  is  true,  the  experienced 
train  of  events  shews  us  there  is  a  constant  proportion 
observed  between  the  cause  and  the  effect,  however  varie- 
gated :  but  it  is  an  obvious  error  to  contend  that  the  same 
law  obtains  among  rational  and  intelligent  beings  ;  and 
it  is  an  error  proceeding  from  the  belief  of  a  doctrine  we 
have  before  animadverted  upon — the  doctrine,  I  mean,  that 
maintains  the  same  species  of  absolute  necessity  to  sub- 
sist among  moral  as  among  physical  agents.  Hercules 
did  not  on  all  occasions,  put  forth  the  utmost  quantity  of 
his  strength  ;  nor  Cicero  nor  Demosthenes  exert  the 
whole  of  their  eloquence.  They  found  themselves  at  full 
liberty,  and  not  subjected  to  the  same  inflexible  laws  that 
actuate  mere  incogitative  atoms.  It  is  acknowledged  that 
no  one  merely  from  the  sight  of  a  picture  of  Zeuxis  in 
ancient  times,  or  of  Salvator  Rosa  in  more  modern,  could 
determine  that  the  former  was  also  a  statuary  and  an 
architect,  and  the  latter  a  poet  and  musician,  whose  sa- 
tires arid  harmonic  compositions  fell  but  little  short  of  his 
skill  in  the  art  of  coloring.  But  what  is  the  reason  that 
we  are  here  incapable  of  determining  ?  Plainly  this  :  that 
there  is  no  necessary  connexion  between  these  different 
arts  and  sciences  whatsoever.  They  may  be  conjoined 
in  the  same  subject ;  but  they  may  subsist  by  themselves : 
and  he  who  is  the  best  musician  may  be  the  worst  pain- 
ter, and  the  best  poet  may  be  the  worst  statuary. 

"  The  case  is  very  different  with  respect  to  the  per- 
fections of  intelligent  beings,  and  especially  the  perfec- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  37 

lions  of  the  Deity  :  through  the  whole  of  which  there  is 
a  natural  link  subsisting  so  obviously,  that,  from  the 
demonstration  of  one  or  two,  the  rest  seem  to  follow  ef 
inevitable  necessity.  The  Being,  who  is  eternal  and 
all-powerful,  must  be  all-intelligent :  he  who  is  all-pow- 
erful and  all-intelligent,  must  be  infinitely  happy :  he 
who  is  infinitely  happy  in  himself,  can  only  be  actuated 
in  what  he  does  by  motives  of  benevolence. 

"  Yet  how  are  we  capable  of  determining  at  all  on  the 
Deity  which  is  the  cause,  if  we  can  only  reason  respect- 
ing him  from  a  full  knowledge  of  the  creation,  which  is 
the  effect?  This  creation  is  extended  around  us  on  every 
side  :  let  us  confine  ourselves  alone  to  the  proofs  of  pow- 
er it  exhibits.  Are  we  acquainted  with  its  unfathomable 
dimensions  ?  Have  we  penetrated  into  the  whole  system 
of  laws  by  which  it  is  regulated  ?  Can  we  develope  the 
causes  of  gravitation,  magnetism,  or  muscular  motion  ? 
Is  nothing  obscure,  nothing  mysterious,  concealed  from 
our  view  ?  If  to  inquiries  like  these  we  can  return  a 
satisfactory  reply — then,  but  not  till  then,  let  us  think  of 
determining  our  idea  of  the  great  original  Cause  by  the 
effect  alone  which  he  has  thus  exhibited.  But  if  this  we 
cannot  do — if,  here  we  are  obliged  to  acknowledge  our 
ignorance  and  incapacity,  does  it  not  evince  the  grossest 
presumption  to  set  bounds  to  the  power  of  a  Being  who 
has  thus  magnificently  manifested  himself?  a  power  that 
defies  the  calculations  of  science,  and  overwhelms  the 
conceptions  of  the  most  daring  I 

"  Yet  if  we  are  not  adequate  to  the  comprehension  of 
his  power,  why  should  we  attempt  to  fix  bounds  to  any 
other  attribute  or  perfection  of  which  the  Deity  may  be 
possessed  ?  That  the  exertion  of  power  in  the  works  of 
creation  surpasses  the  limits  of  human  conjecture,  is 
what  the  most  hesitating  sceptic  must  allow.  As  far, 
however,  as  we  have  been  able  to  discover,  an  order  and 
disposition,  uniform  and  similar,  prevail  throughout  the 
whole.  But  order  and  disposition  must  be  the  result  of 
intelligence.  Is  the  display  of  power  then  illimited  and 
incomprehensible?  so  is  that  of  wisdom  and  intelligence. 
Is  the  same  all-powerful  and  intelligent  Being,  who  is  the 
former  of  this  portion  of  the  universe  on  which  we  reside, 
the  Creator  of  the  universe  at  large  ?  the  same  motives 
4 


38  MEMOIRS    OP 

must  actuate  him,  and  a  conduct  not  inconsistent  be  ex- 
hibited. That  he  may  possess  qualities  and  energies 
with  which  we  are  totally  unacquainted,  will  readily  be 
granted ;  yet  this  must  forever  remain  mere  hypothesis, 
since  \ve  have  no  data  on  which  to  found  our  judgment  of 
them.  Yet,  be  they  what  they  may,  they  cannot  be  in- 
congruous with  those  which  are  developed  to  our  notice  in 
the  present  world  :  much  less  can  any  of  them  which  he 
has  exhibited,  and  which  reason  has  taught  one_class  of 
intelligent  beings  to  deem  perfections,  be  ever  regarded 
by  another  as  defects. 

"  To  confine  therefore  our  ideas  of  the  Deity  by  the 
general  appearance  of  objects  and  events  in  the  present 
world,  or  any  part  of  that  section  of  the  universe,  the  mere 
threshold  of  creation,  with  which  we  are  acquainted ;  or 
to  bound  those  attributes  we  cannot  but  allow  him  by 
deductions  drawn  from  so  limited  a  scene — is  both  incon- 
sistent and  unphilosophical :  inconsistent,  because  we 
have  no  reason  to  conceive  that  an  active  intelligent 
Being  should  at  all  times  exert  himself  to  the  utmost  of 
his  power ;  unphilosophical,  because  we  have  the  clearest 
reasons  for  believing  that  a  scene  so  limited  bears  not  the 
proportion  to  the  general  system  of  the  universe  that  a 
grain  of  sand  does  to  the  Pyrenees,  or  a  drop  of  water  to 
the  ocean.  And  we  may,  therefore,  with  the  strictest 
propriety  suppose  the  Divine  Being  possessed  of  a  greater 
degree  of  perfection  in  all  his  various  attributes  than  the 
present  situation  of  things  will  immediately  demonstrate 
to  the  view  :  and  this  without  advancing  from  the  effect 
to  the  cause,  and  thence  descending  to  infer  other  effects 
which  are  totally  unconnected  with  their  original.  The 
reason  being  that  the  limited  capacities  of  the  human 
species  are  not  adequate  to  a  comprehension  of  the  effect 
themselves ;  and  if  they  cannot  fully  comprehend  the 
effect,  how  is  it  possible  they  should  be  able  fully  to  com- 
prehend the  cause  ? 

"  I  cannot,  however,  forbear  to  notice  in  this  place, 
that  the  ascending  from  an  effect  to  a  cause,  and  thence 
descending  from  the  same  cause  to  infer  other  effects 
which  we  were  ignorant  of  before,  is  a  liberty  which  is 
often  taken  by  philosophers.  And  that  not  only  in  re- 
searches which  refer  to  man,  or  any  other  animal  with 
which  they  are  intimately  acquainted,  but  which  re- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  39 

fer  to  the  works  of  Deity  himself.  And  it  is  a  liberty  in- 
deed, without  which  science  could  no  longer  exist.  The 
general  laws  of  nature  with  which  we  are  acquainted  will 
most  of  them  afford  us  a  proof  of  the  truth  of  this  assertion. 
A  close  attention  to  a  few  particular  facts  has  commonly 
been  the  mode  in  which  they  have  been  deduced  :  and 
when  thus  deduced  as  causes  of  those  facts,  they  have 
been  afterwards  applied  to  the  explanation  of  other  oc- 
currences, which  before  appeared  perfectly  unaccounta- 
ble. The  laws  of  gravitation,  which  have  since  been  so 
successfully  applied  to  every  point  of  the  heavens,  were, 
as  is  known  to  every  one,  at  first  determined  from  the 
most  trifling  event  possible.  And  thus,  in  optics,  from  a 
few  observations  on  some  of  the  phenomena  of  light  are 
inferred  the  general  laws  of  refraction  and  reflexion  : 
which  when  in  this  manner  once  obtained,  are  applied  to 
the  solution  of  a  variety  of  other  phenomena,  which 
would,  otherwise,  remain  inexplicable  paradoxes. 

"  But  suppose  we  make  a  farther  concession  still ;  and 
allow — what,  indeed,  we  find  every  hour  in  every  day 
continually  contradicting — that  the  same  proportion  and 
adjustment  between  cause  and  effect  obtains  among  ra- 
tional and  intelligent  beings,  as  among  brute,  unconscious 
matter  ;  and  that  the  power  or  capacity  of  exertion,  which 
is  the  cause,  is  never  superior  to  the  operation,  which  is 
the  effect:  even  by  this  concession,  the  argument  urged 
against  us,  so  far  from  obtaining  the  least  additional  force, 
would,  on  the  very  principles  of  Mr.  Hume  himself, 
prove  the  means  of  its  own  refutation. 

"  All  our  knowledge,  even  according  to  his  own  sys- 
tem, with  respect  to  matters  of  fact  and  existence,  we 
derive  from  experience  :  and  every  event,  that  takes  place 
in  opposition  to  this  grand  criterion  of  our  judgment, 
must  bring  with  it  proofs  that  will  more  than  counterbal- 
ance the  observations  of  every  day,  before  a  philosopher 
can  assent  to  its  truth.  It  is  this  constant  and  unremit- 
ted  experience  which  shews  us  the  continual  coherence 
between  cause  and  effect.  Not  that  the  first  bears  any 
analogy  to  the  second,  or  exerts  any  sensible  influence 
over  it ;  but  only,  by  long  habitude,  we  have  accustomed 
ourselves  to  expect  the  second  as  the  necessary  result  of 
the  first.  For  had  causes  any  analogy  to  their  effects,  or 


40  MEMOIRS    OF 

exerted  any  known  energy  over  them ;  immediately  on 
the  appearance  of  a  cause,  however  singular,  and  how- 
ever impossible  to  be  classed  under  any  determined 
species,  we  should  be  able,  very  nearly,  to  decide  at  once 
what  effect  it  might  produce,  or  to  invert  the  whole  :  were 
an  effect  equally  singular  and  unparalleled,  to  be  present- 
ed to  our  view,  we  should,  with  the  same  facility,  be  ena- 
bled to  interpret  its  cause.  Yet  in  all  such  cases,  on  the 
present  constitution  of  things,  we  should  certainly  find 
ourselves  at  a  loss  for  an  answer. 

"  It  is  owing,  therefore,  entirely  to  the  constant  con- 
junction of  occurrences,  as  established  by  the  laws  of  na- 
ture, that  we  are  capable  of  inferring  one  object  from 
another,  or  of  predicting  one  event  from  a  preceding. — If 
we  examine  the  universe  at  large,  we  find  it  an  effect  ab- 
solutely unparalleled  ;  and  which  cannot  be  comprehend- 
ed under  any  species  with  which  we  are  acquainted. 
And  as  we  cannot, prima  facie,  infer  any  effect  from  a  pre- 
sented cause,  or  any  cause  from  a  given  effect,  we  find 
ourselves  obliged  to  hesitate  about  what  the  cause  of  such 
an  extraordinary  effect  may  be  ;  or  whether,  in  reality, 
we  are  capable  of  conceiving  any  cause  at  all.  Yet, 
taken  collectively,  the  arguments  for  the  existence  of  a 
cause  are  so  potent  and  convincing,  that  even  in  the  pre- 
sent age  of  speculation  and  refinement,  and  amongst 
those  who  have  indulged  themselves  in  the  largest  lati- 
tude of  conjecture,  there  is  no  philosopher  whatever  who 
has  been  bold  enough  to  controvert  them  :  or  rather  who 
has  not  stood  forward  as  the  champion  and  espouser  of  a 
truth  so  obvious  and  incontestable  :  a  truth  to  which  Mr. 
Hume  himself  submits  with  the  most  cordial  acquies- 
cence,* which  is  completely  assented  to  by  Lord  Bol- 
ingbroke,t  and  imagined  to  be  self-evident  by  the  late 

*  "  The  whole  frame  of  nature  bespeaks  an  intelligent  author ;  and  no 
rational  inquirer  can,  after  serious  reflection,  suspend  his  belief  a  moment 
with  regard  to  the  primary  principles  of  genuine  Theism  and  Religion." 
Hume  on  the  Natural  History  of  Religion. 

t  "  I  know,  for  I  can  demonstrate,  by  connecting  the  clearest  and  most 
distinct  of  my  real  ideas,  that  there  is  a  God  ;  a  first,  intelligent  cause  of 
all  things,  whose  infinite  wisdom  and  power  appears  evidently  in  all  his 
works,  and  to  whom  therefore  I  ascribe,  most  rationally,  every  other  perfec- 
tion, whether  conceivable  or  not  conceivable  by  me." 

Bolingbroke's  Works,  vol.  m. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  41 

royal  philosopher  of  Sans  Souci.*  This  mode  of  argu- 
ing, therefore,  is  obviously  fallacious ;  is  destructive  of 
principles  acknowledged  to  be  incontrovertible  ;  and  if 
pursued,  would  lead  us  into  endless  mazes  of  error  and 
perplexity. — Hume  himself  was  sensible  of  the  conse- 
quences which  must  necessarily  result  from  the  continua- 
tion of  such  an  argument,  and  drops  it,  therefore,  abrupt- 
ly, without  pressing  it  forward  to  its  extreme;  'lest  it 
should  lead  us,  as  he  observes,  into  reasonings  of  too  nice 
and  delicate  a  nature.' 

"  But  the  Deity  being  allowed  to  possess  a  capability 
of  exerting  a  providential  care  over  his  creatures,  it  has 
at  times  been  contended  that  such  an  exertion  would  be 
derogatory  to  his  infinite  greatness  and  majesty.  A  mean 
and  contracted  idea !  and  unworthy  of  a  philosopher  to 
entertain  for  a  moment.  However  it  may  be  respecting 
ourselves,  in  the  view  of  the  Deity  nothing  can,  properly 
speaking,  be  either  great  or  small ;  and  nothing  unwor- 
thy the  notice  of  him  who  created  it.  If  the  Deity  did 
not  degrade  himself  by  the  formation  of  his  creatures, 
much  less  can  he  do  so  by  superintending  them  after  they 
are  formed  :  for  an  existing  being  must  at  all  times  be 
superior  to  non-existence ;  and  though  they  may  have 
claims  upon  his  bounty  and  his  protection  at  present,  it  is 
certain  they  could  have  no  claim  at  all  anterior  to  their 
actual  creation. 

"  I  have,  moreover,  observed  already,  that  the  Creator 
is  a  being  of  infinite  benevolence ;  and  that  the  principal 
motive  he  could  possibly  be  actuated  by  in  the  formation 
of  any  order  of  beings,  must  be  their  own  essential  felici- 
ty. If  it  did  not  degrade  him,  then,  to  exert  himself  in 
providing  for  this  felicity  at  first,  it  cannot  degrade  him 
in  the  superintendence  and  direction  of  it  afterwards ; 
and  as  a  being  all-active,  and  all-powerful,  he  cannot  pos- 
sibly resist  such  a  conduct. 

"  In  effect,  such  a  superintendence  and  unremitted  ex- 

*  Le  monde  entier  prouvc  cette  intelligence.  II  ne  faut  qu'  ouvrir  les 
yeux  pour  s'en  convaincre.  Les  fins  que  la  nature  1'est  proposees  dans  ses 
ouvrages,  se  manifestent  si  evidemment,  qu'  on  est  force  de  reconnaitre  une 
cause  souveraigne  et  superieuremeiit  inlelligente  qui  y  preside  necessaire- 
ment.  Pour  peu  qu'  on  soil  de  bonne  foi,  il  est  impossible  de  se  refuser  a 
cette  vcrile. 

Reflexions  du  Roi  de  la  Prusse  sur  la  Religion. 

*4 


42  MEMOIRS    OP 

ertion  seems  fully  proved  both  from  the  continued  opera- 
tion of  the  laws  of  nature ;  the  powers  entrusted  to  man- 
kind ;  and  the  various  and  unexpected  events  which  often 
arise  to  confound  the  policy  of  the  most  artful,  and  baffle 
the  strength  of  the  mighty.  Were  it  not  so,  material 
bodies  must  be  possessed  of  an  innate  and  essential 
power  of  mutual  gravitation  :  a  doctrine,  as  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  observes,  too  absurd  to  be  credited  by  any  man 
in  his  senses  ;*  and  few  events  in  nature  would  take 
place  contrary  to  our  expectation,  or  at  any  time  excite 
our  surprise. 

"  It  appears  singular  and  unaccountable,  that  after  ac- 
knowledging his  belief  in  the  existence  of  such  a  general 
providence,  and  indeed  contending  for  its  truth,  Lord  Bol- 
ingbroke  should,  nevertheless,  deny  the  extension  of  this 
providence  to  individuals.  That  the  same  volume  which 
declares  that  '  when  the  immortality  of  individuals  be- 
comes that  of  a  wrhole  society,  then  the  judgments  of 
God  follow,  and  men  are  punished  collectively  in  the 
course  of  a  general  providence,'!  that  this  same  volume 
should  almost  in  the  same  page  inform  us  that  '  it  is  plain 
from  the  whole  course  of  this  providence,  God  regards  his 
human  creatures  collectively,  and  not  individually ;  how 
worthy  soever  every  one  of  them  may  deem  himself  to  be 
a  particular  object  of  the  divine  care  ;  and  that  there  is  no 
foundation  in  nature  for  the  belief  of  such  a  scheme  as  a 
providence  thus  particular. 't  Is  not  then  every  collec- 
tion and  society  of  beings  composed  of  individuals  ?  or  is 
it  possible  for  such  a  society  or  collection  to  be  interested 
in  providential  interpositions,  and  yet  for  the  individuals 
that  compose  it  to  remain  uninterested  and  unaffected 
thereby  ?  Is  it  from  a  view  of  the  derogation  we  have 
before  remarked  upon,  or  of  fatigue,  or  of  incapacity,  that 
the  Deity  should  thus  restrain  himself?  or  what  precise 
number  of  individuals  can  constitute  a  society  capable  of 
demanding  the  full  attention  of  Providence,  the  abstrac- 
tion of  a  single  member  from  which  would  immediately 
render  it  unworthy  of  any  further  notice  or  regard  ? 

"  Miserable  indeed  must  have  been  the  situation  of 
Cadmus  or  Idomeneus,  wandering,  as  they  were,  from 

*  Letters  to  Dr.  Bentley.         t  Vol.  T.  Quarto  edit. 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  43 

climate  to  climate,  in  pursuit  of  an  unknown  region  ;  and 
attended,  perhaps,  by  too  few  associates  to  induce  the  in- 
terference and  benediction  of  Providence  upon  their  at- 
tempts. And  still  more  miserable  the  fate  of  a  Philoc- 
tetes,  or  a  Robinson  Crusoe,  cut  off,  by  the  most  de- 
sert solitude,  from  the  pleasures  of  social  communication, 
and,  by  the  same  solitude,  deprived  of  the  assistance  of 
the  Deity.  And  Sophocles  had  more  reason  than  has 
generally  been  imagined,  when  he  makes  the  former  ex- 
claim, 


"  In  fact,  every  order  of  created  beings  whatsoever, 
and  every  station  in  every  various  order,  must  be  equally 
the  object  of  the  attention  and  care  of  the  Supreme  Be- 
ing. While  Solomon  was  noticed  by  him,  in  all  his 
glory,  he  did  not  forget  the  '  lily  of  the  field/  in  its  hum- 
bler and  more  modest  array.  And  whatever  difference 
there  might  have  appeared  to  the  dazzled  eyes  of  mortals, 
between  the  situation  of  David  or  Cincinnatus,  when 
engaged  in  the  lowlier  employments  of  agriculture  and 
rural  economy,  and  when  advanced  to  the  first  dignities 
of  their  different  nations,  and  leading  forward  their  ex- 
ulting armies  to  victory  and  renown  —  in  the  grand  survey 
of  the  great  Creator  of  all  things,  such  differences  and 
distinctions  must  shrink  into  nothing,  and  every  grada- 
tion of  life  alike  enjoy  his  common  protection. 

"  If  the  race  of  man  did  actually  proceed,  according  to 
either  the  Mosaic  history  or  the  fabulous  accounts  of  the 
Greeks,  from  one  single  pair,  or  family  —  it  is  plain,  ac- 
cording to  this  doctrine,  that  Providence  could  have  little 
to  do  with  the  world,  either  at  its  first  creation,  or  imme- 
diately after  the  deluge  :  and  it  would  form  a  curious  in- 
quiry, and  one,  I  fear,  not  easily  resolved,  at  what  period, 
from  either  of  these  grand  epochs,  were  mankind,  so 
multiplied  as  to  become  proper  objects  of  providential  no- 
tice ? 

"  Pope,  who  is  often  the  mere  echo  of  Bolingbroke, 
who  was  '  formed  by  his  converse,'  as  he  expresses  it 

*  O  Death,  where  art  them,  Death  ?  —  so  often  called, 
Wilt  thou  not  listen  ?  wilt  thou  never  come  7        Francktia. 


44  MEMOIRS    OP 

himself,  and  had,  '  in  his  little  bark,  attended  his  triumph 
and  partaken  the  gale'  so  far,  that  he  was  often  ignorant 
of  his  own  latitude — has,  nevertheless,  dared  to  differ 
from  his  noble  patron  on  this  subject,  and  discovers  a 
manly  independence  in  thinking  for  himself.  The  pro- 
vidence of  God,  according  to  him,  extends  alike  to  every 
being,  the  most  lowly  as  well  as  the  most  exalted,  the 
peasant  as  well  as  the  prince. 

'  And  sees,  with  equal  eye,  as  God  of  all, 
A  hero  perish,  or  a  sparrow  fall : 
Atoms  or  systems  into  ruin  hurl'd, 
And  now  a  bubble  burst,  and  now  a  world.'* 

A  noble  and  philosophic  sentiment,  whose  beauty  is  only 
proportioned  to  its  truth. 

"  But  it  has,  farther,  been  alleged,  and  in  that  part  of 
the  allegation  which  regards  individuals,  Lord  Boling- 
broke  unites  in  opinion, — that  no  providence  or  divine 
interposition,  either  general  or  particular,  can  ever  exist 
without  infringing  on  the  liberty  of  moral  election. 

"  Now  it  is  possible,  and  indeed  nothing  is  more  com- 
mon, than  for  influences  and  interpositions  to  subsist  be- 
tween man  and  man,  and  yet  for  the  liberty  of  the  person 
who  is  acting  to  remain  as  free  and  inviolate  as  ever. 
Such  are  often  the  result  of  the  remonstrances  of  friend- 
ship,— such,  of  the  counsels  of  wisdom  and  experience. 
We  consent  to  desist  from  one  particular  mode  of  con- 
duct, and  to  pursue  its  opposite,  whenever  the  first  is  de- 
monstrated to  us  to  be  unjust  or  deleterious  ;  and  the  se- 
cond to  be  advantageous,  or  consistent  with  rectitude. 
We  act  under  the  influence  of  the  representations  of  our 
friends,  but  we  perceive  not,  in  thus  acting,  and  in  reali- 
ty, do  not  submit  to,  any  infringement  on  our  liberty  of 
choice. 

"  Shall  we,  then,  allow  the  existence  of  such  an  imper- 
ceptible power  in  man,  and  yet  maintain  that  it  cannot 
possibly  exist  in  the  Supreme  Being?  If  the  man  of  ad- 
dress, from  a  superficial  knowledge  of  our  character  and 
opinions,  is  so  far  capable  of  insinuating  himself  into  our 
favor,  as  often  to  influence  and  direct  our  ideas  and  our 

*  Essay  on  Man. 


DR.  MAS  OX    GOOD.  45 

actions  to  the  very  point  he  has  in  view — must  not  a  Be- 
ing who  is  all-powerful,  and  all-active,  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  deepest  recesses  of  the  soul,  who  views  every 
thought  as  it  arises,  and  knows  by  what  motives  it  may 
most  assuredly  be  influenced,  must  not  such  a  Being  be 
capable  of  directing,  with  infinitely  more  ease,  the  train 
of  its  ideas  ;  and,  at  pleasure,  either  subtract  from,  or  make 
addition  to,  the  force  of  the  motives  that  govern  it  ?  How- 
ever impossible  this  may  be  on  the  doctrine  of  moral  ne- 
cessity, and  supposing  the  same  severity  of  fate  to  subsist 
throughout  the  ideas  and  actions  of  intelligent  beings, 
that  is  ever  to  be  met  with  in  the  physical  depart- 
ment of  creation — far  from  any  such  impossibility  of  con- 
duct resulting  from  the  opposite  doctrine,  it  is  a  conduct 
that  appears  perfectly  natural  to  the  Almighty  Creator, 
and  which,  in  fact,  he  must  unavoidably  pursue. 

"  The  poetry  of  Tasso,  therefore,  is  not  more  sublime 
than  his  philosophy  is  just,  when,  in  his  description  of  the 
glories  of  heaven,  and  the  magnificence  of  the  eternal 
throne,  he  adjoins 

'  Sedea  cola,  dond'  egli,  e  buono  e  giusto, 
Da  legge  al  tutto :  e  '1  tutto  orna,  e  perduce ; 
Souvra  i  bassi  confin  del  mondo  angusto, 
Ove  senso,  o  ragion  non  si  conduce.'* 

"  I  grant  that  the  belief  of  a  providence  thus  particular 
has  been  the  source  of  a  thousand  errors  and  extravagant 
conceits  in  the  minds  of  the  enthusiastic  and  superstitious. 
But,  not  to  urge  that  right  reason  can  never  admit  the 
doctrine  of  a  general  providence,  without,  at  the  same 
time,  including  that  of  a  particular, — it  does  not  follow 
that  a  proposition  must  be  false  because  some  visionary 
adherents  to  it  pretend  to  deduce  consequences  which 
are  not  necessarily  involved  in  it,  and  with  which,  in  re- 
ality, they  are  by  no  means  connected.  I  am  not  con- 
tending for  the  inspiration  of  De  Serres,t  or  the  wander- 

*  Gerusalemme  Liberata,  cant.  9.  sta.  56. — 

!Tis  there  he  sits,  the  just  the  good  Supreme; 
Propounds  his  laws,  and  harmonizes  all  : 
And  leads  the  tribes  of  this  diminish'd  orb 
Thro'  scenes  where  sense  and  doubting  reason  fails, 
t  II  j"  ayoit  deja  lon<r  tente  que  dans  les  montagnes  des  Cevennes  et  da 
Vivares  il  1'  elevait  des  inspires  et  des  prophetes.    Un  vieil  huguenot, 


40  MEMOIRS    OP 

ing  tribe  of  prophets  who  united  themselves  to  him  on  the 
mountains  of  the  Cevennes,  at  the  period  of  the  revoca- 
tion of  the  edict  of  Nantz  ;  nor  for  the  invisible  interpo- 
sition to  which  the  excellent  but  too  credulous  Baxter 
attributed  it,  that  '  his  small  linen,  when  hung  out  to  dry, 
was  caught  up  in  an  eddy,  and  carried  out  of  sight,  over 
the  church  steeple  :'*  but  there  are,  nevertheless,  a  thou- 
sand events  occur,  as  well  in  the  lives  of  individuals,  as 
in  what  relates  to  society  at  large,  v/hich — though  they 
cannot  be  said  to  violate  the  established  laws  of  nature — 
we  are  by  no  means  led  to  expect ;  and,  indeed,  the  very 
reverse  of  which  we  have  been  secretly  predicting. 

"That  Charles  the  Eighth,  or  Francis  the=First  of 
France,  men  who  had  devoted  the  earliest  and  most  vigo- 
rous hours  of  their  lives  to  illicit  amors  and  continual 
debaucheries  of  every  kind,  should  complain,  towards  the 
advance  of  age,  of  pains  and  debilities,  and  a  constitution 
totally  broken  arid  worn  out ;  and,  at  length,  fall  victims 
to  their  own  irregularities  and  misconduct :  or  that  Louis 
the  Eleventh,  or  others,  men  who  never  hesitated  to  em- 
ploy either  artifice  or  murder  for  the  accomplishment  of 
their  purposes,  should,  at  length,  become  fearful  of  their 
own  personal  safety,  be  perpetually  haunted  by  the  hor- 
rors of  their  own  imaginations,  and  the  lawless  deeds  they 
had  committed ;  and  at  last  sink  into  an  early  grave 
through  mere  distrust  and  disquietude  of  spirit ; — that 
men  thus  abandoned  or  dishonest  should  in  this  manner, 
in  due  time,  meet  with  the  very  punishments  they  so  rich- 
ly deserved,  may  not  particularly  excite  our  surprise,  as 
being  merely  the  obvious  consequences  of  causes  equally 
obvious  and  natural.  But  when  we  behold  the  Dauphin, 
who  was  afterwards  Charles  the  Seventh  of  France,  pur- 

nomme  de  Sevres,  avail  tenu  ecole  de  prophetic.  II  montrait  aux  enfans  les 
paroles  de  1'  ecriture  qui  disent  "  quand  trois  ou  quatre  sont  assembles  en 
tnon  nom,  mon  esprit  est  parmi  eux  ;  et  avcc  un  grain  de  foi  un  transporters 
des  montagnes."  Ensuite  il  recevait  1'  esprit :  if  etait  hors  de  lui-meme  :  il 
avail  des  convulsions  :  il  changeait  de  voix :  il  restait  immobile,  egare,  les 
cheveux  herisses,  selon  1'  ancien  usage  de  toutes  les  nations,  et  selon  ces 
regies  de  demence  transmises  de  siecle  en  siecle.  Les  enfans  recevoient 
ainsi  le  don  de  prophetic :  et  s'ils  ne  transportaient  pas  des  montagnes, 
c'est  qu'ils  avaienl  assez  de  foi  pour  recevoir  I'esprit,  et  pas  assez  pour  faire 
des  miracles  :  ainsi  ils  redoublaient  de  ferveur  pour  obtenir  ce  dernier  don. 
— Siecle  de  Louis  14.  par.  M.  de  Francheville,  torn.  2. 
•World  of  Spirils. 


DR.  MASON   GOOD.  47 

sued  with  resistless  impetuosity  by  the  victorious  Henry 
the  Fifth  of  England — a  wretched  fugitive  in  a  country 
he  was  afterwards  destined  to  sway  with  so  much  eclat — 
incapable  of  providing  himself  and  his  family  with  the 
common  necessaries  of  life  ; — his  father,  the  reigning  mo- 
narch, disordered  in  his  intellects  ;  his  mother,  the  flagi- 
tious and  unnatural  Isabelle,  consulting  to  save  herself 
by  marrying  her  daughter  to  the  young  conqueror,  in  ex- 
clusion of  the  dauphin,  apparently  for  ever ; — when  we 
survey  the  nation  vanquished  in  every  part,  and  the  vic- 
tor, exulting  iu  the  mighty  deeds  he  had  achieved,  ad- 
vancing towards  Paris  with  all  the  pomp  of  royalty  and 
success;  there  to  be  crowned,  unanimously,  sovereign  of 
the  conquered  country  : — when  we  survey  these  things, 
and  learn  that  at  this  eventful  moment  the  successful 
Henry  expires  abruptly  in  the  bloom  of  youth  and  vigor, 
and  leaves  his  victorious  armies  to  save  themselves,  in 
their  turn,  by  a  disgraceful  retreat ; — or  when,  in  later 
time?,  we  read  the  history  of  the  memorable  armada  of 
Spain,  destined  for  the  conquest  of  this  country,  which 
Philip  the  Second  had  almost  ruined  himself  and  his  peo- 
ple to  complete,  and  which  Sixtus  the  Fifth,  the  reigning 
Pope,  had  consecrated,  and  bestowed  his  benediction  up- 
on ;  when  we  survey  this  mighty  armament  pressing  on 
the  very  shores  of  Great  Britain  with  all  the  insolence  of 
conscious  triumph,  and  mark  it  defeated  by  a  force  far  in- 
ferior to  itself,  and  wrecked,  by  the  most  opportune  tem- 
pests, on  the  very  coasts  it  had  a  few  moments  before  so 
insolently  menaced  : — when  reverses  of  fortune  like  these 
are  occurring  around  us,  so  abrupt  and  decisive — the  vul- 
gar may  stare  and  keep  silence, — the  man  of  science  may 
pretend  to  account  for  them,  and  resolve  the  whole  into 
different,  though  capricious,  combinations  of  natural 
causes  and  effects  :  but  the  true  philosopher,  the  man  of 
real  reflection,  even  while  he  acknowledges  the  presence 
and  energy  of  natural  causation,  and  contends  not  for  any 
miraculous  interposition,  traces,  nevertheless,  throughout 
the  whole,  the  secret  direction  of  an  invisible  and  supe- 
rior power : — a  power  to  whom  every  element  submits, 
and  who  superintends,  at  pleasure,  the  complicated  con- 
cerns of  mankind  :  a  power,  who  alike  amidst  all  the 
fluctuating  fortunes  of  individuals  or  of  kingdoms,  stil! 

'  Rides  in  the  whirlwind  and  directs  the  storm.' 


48  MEMOIRS    OF 

Such  has  been  the  situation  of  things  in  all  ages  ;  such 
the  recurrence  of  the  peripetia  in  the  grand  drama  of  hu- 
man life  :  and  such  the  sentiments  by  which  every  nation 
has,  at  all  times,  been  actuated.  Hence  altars  have  been 
erected,  temples  dedicated,  and  vows  profused,  without 
number  ;  hence  the  wrath  of  the  presiding  deity  has  been 
deprecated,  or  his  benediction  coveted  and  besought. — 
Can  we,  then,  influenced  by  considerations  like  these — 
by  rational  arguments  and  the  sanction  and  testimony  of 
every  nation  and  climate  under  heaven — can  we  do  oth- 
erwise than  conclude,  in  the  words  of  the  Roman  orator, 
— '  Deos  esse,  et  eorum  providentia  mundum  adminis- 
trari ; — eosdemque  consulere  rebus  humanis  ;  nee  solum 
universis,  verum  etiam  singulis  ?'  "* 

About  the  same  time  that  the  Essay  on  Providence  was 
written,  Mr.  Good  prepared  for  a  Review  (I  believe,  the 
Analytical,}  a  critique  of  a  work  on  Miracles,  in  which 
several  of  the  sophisms  of  Rousseau  were  refuted.  The 
work  itself,  however  satisfactory  in  point  of  reasoning, 
did  not  advance  anything  that  was  essentially  new.  But 
the  reviewer  makes  one  observation,  which,  if  it  has  not 
the  air  of  perfect  novelty,  is  so  important,  and  has,  not- 
withstanding, been  so  little  regarded,  that  I  make  no 
apology  for  transcribing  it  into  these  pages. 

"  The  miracles  recorded  in  the  Gospel  are  not  of  the 
momentary  kind,  or  miracles  of  even  short  duration  ; 
but  they  were  such  as  were  attended  with  permanent 
effects.  The  flitting  appearance  of  a  spectre,  the  hear- 
ing of  a  supernatural  sound,  may  each  be  regarded  as  a 
momentary  miracle  :  the  sensible  proof  is  gone,  when 
the  apparition  disappears,  or  the  sound  ceases.  But  it  is 
not  so,  if  a  person  born  blind  be  restored  to  sight,  or  a 
notorious  cripple  to  the  use  of  his  limbs,  or  a  dead  man 
to  life ;  for  in  each  of  these  cases  a  permanent  effect  is 
produced  by  supernatural  means.  The  change,  indeed, 
was  instantaneous,  but  the  proof  continues.  The  subject 
of  the  miracle  remains  :  the  man  cured  is  there  :  his 
former  condition  was  known,  and  his  present  condition 
may  be  examined  and  compared  with  it.  Such  cases 

*  Cicer.  1  Di\  in.  n.  117. 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  49 

can,  by  no  possibility,  be  resolved  into  false  perception, 
or  trick  ;  and  of  this  kind  are  by  far  the  greater  portion  of 
the  miracles  recorded  in  the  New  Testament/' 

Early  in  the  year  1793,  Mr.  Good  was  cheered  with 
the  prospect  of  surmounting  his  difficulties,  by  removing 
to  London.  He  received  a  proposal  to  go  into  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  W.,*  a  surgeon  and  apothecary  of  exten- 
sive practice  in  the  metropolis;  and  having  also  an  official 
connexion,  as  surgeon,  with  one  of  the  prisons.  Circum- 
stances seemed  auspicious ;  though  it  appears  from  a 
letter  of  Mr.  Good's  to  his  friend  Dr.  Drake,  bearing 
date  January  17th,  1793,  that  his  intended  partner  was 
not  ignorant  of  the  art  of  driving  a  hard  bargain.  "  I 
have  at  length  (says  he)  settled  the  matter  between  Mr. 
W.  and  myself,  after  having  conceded  to  his  own  terms ; 
which,  though  more  severe  than  I  expected,  will,  I  hope, 
answer  in  the  end.  I  have  agreed  to  connect  myself  with 
him  at  Ladyday  ;  so  that  then,  or  soon  afterwards,  we 
must  leave  the  country." 

Another  passage  in  the  same  letter,  serves  to  acquaint 
us  with  the  manner  which  he  usually  pursued  in  the  com- 
position of  his  smaller  pieces.  "  Some  (says  Johnsont) 
employ,  at  once,  memory  and  invention,  and,  with  little 
intermediate  use  of  the  pen,  form  and  polish  large  masses 
by  continued  meditation,  and  write  their  productions,  only 
when,  in  their  own  opinion,  they  have  completed  them." 
Such  was,  in  great  measure,  the  process  adopted  by  Mr. 
Good  ;  with  this  additional  peculiarity,  that,  by  meditat- 
ing about  himself,  or  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was 
placed,  he  often  seemed  to  forget  himself;  or,  instead  of 
thinking  of  himself  as  the  being  over  whose  perplexities 
he  was  cogitating  in  sober  sadness,  he  transformed  him- 
self into  the  subject  of  a  poem,  either  grave  or  lively,  as 
the  presiding  muse  dictated  :  thus  causing  reverie  to 
triumph  over  reality.  Whether  walking  or  riding,  taking 
a  larger  or  a  shorter  journey,  travelling  by  day  or  by 
night,  in  fair  or  in  tempestuous  weather,  in  pursuit  of 
pleasure,  or  aiming  to  free  himself  from  pain  ;  his  elastic 
intellect  was  uncoiling  itself,  and,  by  an  appropriate  effort 
accomplishing  its  assigned  task.  In  every  variety  of  cir- 

*  I  suppress  all  but  the  initial,  designedly.  fLife  of  Pope. 

5 


50  MEMOIRS    OP 

cumstances  he  exercised  the  power  of  composition  ;  and 
often,  as  will  be  seen,  with  great  success. 

Speaking  of  his  journey  to  London,  in  the  Letter 
already  quoted,  he  says — 

11  The  sun  shone  a  little  at  fftst,  but  soon  disappeared. 
I  was  too  early  for  the  moon,  and  began  to  contemplate 
nothing  but  a  gloom  of  solid  darkness,  only  interrupted 
by  the  aurora  borealis;  when  fortunately  for  me,  and  for 
my  feelings,  the  evening  star  broke  through  the  clouds, 
and  continued  to  emit  a  brilliant  though  slender  light 
during  the  rest  of  my  journey.  I  was  so  much  amused 
by  its  society,  that  on  my  road,  as  I  travelled,  I  could  not 
avoid  composing  the  elegy  beneath." 

TO  THE  EVENING  STAR. 

Composed  during  a  Journey. 

Bright  star  of  Love  !  that  pour'st  thy  steady  light, 

While  all  around  is  darkness  and  dismay  ; 
Companion  mid  the  solitude  of  night, 

Right  art  thou  nam'd,  and  blessed  be  thy  ray. 

Sunk  is  the  sun,  the  moon  is  far  estrang'd, 

Clouds  rise,  and  many  a  treacherous  meteor  sweeps; 

But  thy  true  lamp,  unchanging  and  unchang'd, 
Still  o'er  the  gloom  its  heavenly  guidance  keeps. 

Emblem  of  friendship  seldom  found  on  earth, 
Where  change  alike,  and  treachery,  are  bred  ; 

And  many  a  wretch,  all  reckless  of  their  birth, 
Sees  them  and  feels  them  bursting  o'er  his  head. 

Yes,  many  a  wretch,  who,  first,  his  blithe  career, 
Like  me,  in  smiles  and  cloudless  skies  begun  ; 

High  flush'd  with  hope,  with  carol  and  good  cheer, 
Who  hail'd  his  lot,  and  loitered  in  the  sun  : 

Like  me,  deceiv'd  ;  and  doom'd  too  soon  to  try, 

A  different  scene  that  all  his  soul  appals  : 
Friends,  flatterers  fail, — rude  whirlwinds  ride  the  sky, 

And  a  long  night  of  woe  before  him  falls. 

Taught  by  thyself,  should  fortune's  cruel  spite 
A  wretch  thus  hopeless,  e'er  to  me  disclose, 

Then  will  I,  too,  uplift  my  little  light, 
To  soothe  the  traveller  amidst  his  woes. 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  51 

Small  are  my  means,  and  humble  is  my  birth  ; 

But  thou  hast  prov'd,  thus  glimmering  o'er  the  road, 
'Tis  not  the  extent  of  aid  that  stamps  its  worth, 

But  the  nice  hour  in  which  that  aid's  bcstow'd. 

The  subjoined  jcu  d'esprit,  composed  at  the  time  of 
his  quitting  Sudbury,  serves  also  to  illustrate  the  pecu- 
liarity of  mind  to  which  I  have  adverted. 


VERSES  TO  A  BATH  STOVE, 

On  leaving  it  Ichint1 ,  in  a  House  from  which  I  removed. 

Here  rest,  O  Stove  !  the  fondest  friends  must  part, 
Whate'cr  the  sorrow  that  subdues  the  heart ; 
Here  rest,  a  monument  to  all  behind, 
Of  the  chief  virtues  that  enrich  the  mind. 
For  thrice  three  years  I've  known  thee,  and  have  found 
Thy  service  clean,  thy  constitution  sound. 
Amidst  a  world  of  changes,  thou  hast  stood 
Fixt  to  thy  post,  illustriously  good ; 
Unwarp'd,  inflexible,  and  true,  whate'er 
Thy  fiery  toils, — and  thou  hast  had  thy  share  ; 
For  never  Stoic  of  the  porch  has  felt 
A  frame  more  firm,  or  less  disposed  to  melt ; 
And  sooner  than  o'er  thine,  mankind  might  seek 
For  iron  tears  o'er  Pluto's  marble  cheek. 
Yet  hast  thou  shewn,  in  fulness  and  in  want, 
Virtues  that  ne'er  in  rugged  bosoms  haunt ; 
Gr-ate-fuJl  when  loaded,  and  when  empty  seen 
With  a  still  fairer  and  'more  beauteous  mien  : 
For  polished  is  thy  make,  and  form'd  to  impart 
Light  to  the  mind,  and  solace  to  the  heart. 
When  nunib'd  by  vapors,  or  a  frowning  sky, 
When  deadly  gloom  has  weigh'd  down  every  eye, 
When  dark  my  views,  or  doubtful  my  career, 
I've  sought  thy  radiance,  all  has  soon  been  clear  ; 
Nature  her  face  has  hasten'd  to  resume, 
.  Each  doubt  decamp 'd,  and  glee  succeeded  gloom. 

But  chief  at  friendship's  call,  thy  generous  make 
Has  prov'd  its  powers,  and  rous'd  for  friendship's  sake, 
Warm  in  her  sacred  cause,  and  ever  found 
Warmest  when  all  is  cold  and  languid  round  : 
Then  most  provok'd, — while  every  bitter  blow 
But  stirs  thy  bowels  to  a  keener  glow. 
Howe'er  aspers'd  or  injur'd  in  his  pride, 
Let  but  the  sufferer  reach  thy  shelt'ring  side, 
Quick  he  forgets  the  numerous  ills  that  swarm, 
Nor  heeds  i(  the  pelting  of  the  pitiless  storm." 


52  MEMOIRS    OF 

Farewell ! — and  may  the  virtues  that  are  thine, 
Shine  through  the  land,  in  thy  own  lustre  shine. 
I  go — ior  such  my  lot,  and  I  am  free, 
But  thou  art  fixt.  and  canst  not  follow  me, 
Fixt  to  thy  station,  and  forbid  to  rove  ; 
So  fare  thee  well,  thou  pure  and  polish'd  Stove. 

In  April  1793,  at  the  age  of  29,  Mr.  Good,  pursuant 
to  his  agreement  with  Mr.  W.,  removed  to  London.  He 
was  then  full  of  health  and  spirits,  ardently  devoted  to 
his  profession,  and  anxious  to  distinguish  himself  in  the 
new  sphere  of  action  in  which  he  was  placed.  His  cha- 
racter soon  began  to  be  duly  apprecnted  amongst  medical 
men  ;  and  on  the  7th  of  November  the  same  year,  he 
was  admitted  a  Member  of  the  College  of  Surgeons. 
But  a  change  of  scene  only  carried  with  it  a  change  of 
perplexities.  His  partner  in  a  short  time  became  jealous 
of  his  talents,  and  of  his  rising  popularity  ;  and  had  re- 
course to  the  basest  means  of  injuring  his  reputation.  If 
Mr.  Good  prescribed  one  course  of  treatment  of  a  private 
patient,  Mr.  W.  would  in  the  next  visit  prescribe  one  that 
was  diametrically  opposite.  If  Mr.  Good  made  an  entry 
in  the  prison  books,  Mr.  W.  in  the  succeeding  entry  would 
contradict  it.  If  Mr.  Good  rose  obviously  in  the  estima- 
tion of  a  private  patient,  or  his  relatives,  Mr.  W.  would 
set  himself,  by  paltry  insinuations,  to  excite  doubts  of  his 
judgment  or  skill.  And  so  on  from  day  to  day.  The 
result  may  at  once  be  anticipated.  The  business  failed  ; 
the  partnership  was  dissolved  ;  Mr.  W.  died  in  the  Fleet 
prison  ;  and  Mr.  Good  was  again  generously  assisted  by 
his  affectionate  relative  at  Ballingdon  Hall.  Mr.  Good, 
however,  as  before,  shrunk  from  the  full  reception  of  the 
aid  offered  him  by  Mr.  Fenn,  though  he  gratefully  re- 
ceived essential  help.  He  disguised  the  entire  magnitude 
of  his  embarrassments  from  Mrs.  Good  and  her  family, 
and  resolved  to  surmount  them  principally  by  his  own 
exertions.  I  do  not  mention  this  determination  for  the 
sake  of  commending  it,  but  for  the  sake  of  again  mark- 
ing its  result  upon  his  general  character.  An  increasing 
family,  project  after  project  defeated,  the  frequent  occur- 
rence of  unforeseen  vexations,  served  but  as  new  incen- 
tives to  his  professional  activity,  and  to  the  most  extended 
literary  research.  Thus  circumstanced,  for  three  or  four 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  53 

years,  he  concealed  his  anxieties  from  those  he  most  loved, 
maintained  a  cheerful  demeanor  among  his  friends,  pur- 
sued his  theoretical  and  practical  inquiries  into  every 
accessible  channel ;  and,  at  length,  by  God's  blessing 
upon  his  exertions,  surmounted  every  difficulty,  and  ob- 
tained professional  reputation  and  employment,  sufficient 
to  satisfy  his  thirst  for  fame,  and  to  place  him  in  what 
are  usually  regarded  as  reputable  and  easy  circumstances. 

Eager  to  obtain  distinction  amongst  medical  men,  he 
as  eagerly  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  to  accom- 
plish that  object.  In  March  1794,  Dr.  Lettsom,  an  ac- 
tive and  benevolent  member  of  the  "  Medical  Society," 
(meeting  in  Bolt  Court,  Fleet  Street,)  offered,  through 
the  medium  of  that  useful  and  truly  respectable  institu- 
tion, a  premium  of  twenty  guineas  for  the  best  disserta- 
tion on  the  question — "  What  are  the  diseases  most  fre- 
quent in  workhouses,  poorhouses,  and  similar  institutions, 
and  what  are  the  best  means  of  cure  and  of  prevention  ?" 
The  prize  was  to  be  awarded  in  February  1795.  Mr. 
Good  was  one  of  the  competitors,  and  had  the  satisfaction, 
when  the  time  of  announcing  the  result  arrived,  to  learn 
that  his  dissertation  was  successful,  and  to  receive  the 
request  of  the  counsel,  that  he  "  would  publish  the  said 
dissertation  as  soon  as  possible."  With  a  request  so 
gratifying  to  his  best  feelings,  he  immediately  complied.* 

From  this  time  Mr.  Good  continued,  as  a  member  of 
the  Medical  Society,  often  as  a  member  of  its  council,  and 
for  two  or  three  years  as  one  of  its  secretaries,  to  promote 
its  interests.  He  also  became  an  active  member  of  a  so- 
ciety, constituted  in  the  year  1794,  under  the  title  of 
'  The  General  Pharmaccutic  Association  ;"  whose  main 
design  was  to  preserve  the  distinction  between  the  apothe- 
cary and  the  druggist,  which  had  for  so  many  ages  pre- 
vailed, and  which,  from  recent  circumstances,  it  was  ap- 
prehended would  be  merged  and  lost,  unless  some  special 
efforts  were  made  to  prevent  it.  Not  only  in  London, 

*  The  "  Dissertation'r  was  published  in  the  course  of  the  year  1795,  wilk 
a  supplementary  description  of"  a  singular  case  of  preternatural  fetation," 
which  had  occurred  in  his  practice  at  Sudbury. 

*5 


54  MEMOIRS    OF 

but  in  almost  every  town  in  Great  Britain,  men  of  the 
most  illiterate  character  and  habits,  ignorant  of  the  sci- 
ence of  medicine,  of  the  formulae  of  prescription,  of  the 
theory  and  practice  of  chemistry,  ignorant,  often,  even  of 
the  English  language,  obtained  extensive  business  as 
druggists,  and  not  unfrequently  connected  with  that  the 
occupations  of  bleeding,  tooth-drawing,  and  bone-setting. 
In  various  instances,  country  grocers  had  practised  ac- 
tively in  these  kindred  departments  ;  and  the  mischief, 
as  may  easily  be  conjectured,  was  immense.  A  man 
practised  surgery  and  pharmacy,  no  farther  from  London 
than  the  village  of  Beckenham,  whose  whole  medical 
education  consisted  in  having  been  "  stable-boy,  for  two 
years,  to  a  surgeon  in  that  neighborhood."  At  Uckfield 
there  were  three  "  grocer-druggists"  who  prescribed,  and 
in  cases  of  difficulty  applied  to  their  London  drug-mer- 
chant for  help.  Some  "  drug-dealing  grocers,  at  Mar- 
low,"  substituted  (for  want  of  better  knowledge)  arsenic 
for  cream  of  tartar,  tinctures  of  opium  and  jalap  for  those 
of  senna  and  rhubarb,  and  nitre  for  glauber's  salts;  thus 
ruining  instead  of  restoring  the  healths  of  those  who  were 
unfortunate  enough  to  consult  them.  A  druggist  at 
Croydon,  after  laboring  hard  to  ascertain  the  precise 
meaning  of  the  words  "  cucurbita  cruentia,"  discovered, 
at  length,  with  the  kind  aid  of  an  equally  learned  disciple 
of  JSsculapius,  that  they  denoted  "an  electric  shock." 
A  medical  gentleman  at  Worcester  prescribed  for  his  pa- 
tient as  follows  : — "  Decoct.  Cascarillae  ^  vij.  Tinct.  ejus- 
dem  f  j."  This  prescription  was  sent  to  a  druggist  in 
that  city  to  be  made  up.  The  shopman  who  had  the 
principal  care  of  the  business,  having  sought  in  vain  for  a 
phial  labelled  Tinct.  ejusdem,  sent  to  the  shops  of  other 
druggists  to  procure  it :  but  the  search  was  fruitless, 
there  was  no  Tinct.  ejusdcm  to  be  procured  in  the  city  of 
Worcester,  and  the  prescription  was  actually  returned  to 
the  physician  with  an  earnest  request  that  he  would  sub- 
stitute some  other  ingredient  for  this  scarce  tincture  ! 
Another  blunder,  but,  unfortunately  of  serious  conse- 
quence, occurred  in  the  year  1795  in  the  same  city.  A 
physician  being  requested  to  prescribe  for  a  boy  of  10 
years  old,  the  son  of  a  poor  woman,  laboring  under  a 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  55 

dyspnoea,  directed  this  draught  to  be  given  him  at  bed- 
time :  "  fi.  Syr.  Papav.  Alb.  3  j-  Tinct.  Opii  Camph. 
3  ij.  Aq.  Distill.  3  vm."  It  was  prepared  by  a  druggist's 
shopman,  who  had  not  heard  of  the  new  name  for  Pare- 
goric Elixir,  and  therefore  made  it  with  3  ij-  of  Tinct. 
Opii :  he  advised  the  mother  to  give  the  child  only  half 
of  the  draught,  but  that  proved  sufficiently  strong  to  de- 
prive him  of  life  in  about  twenty-four  hours. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  numerous  instances,  some 
ludicrous,  others  horrible,  of  the  ignorance  of  druggists 
in  town  and  country,  which  were  then  notorious,  and  uni- 
versally spoken  of.  The  objects  of  the  Pharmaceutic 
Association  were,  to  expose  and  remove  these  evils,  to  get 
the  business  of  druggist  placed  under  certain  restrictions, 
and  the  practice  of  medicine  freed  from  the  odium  which 
ignorance  thus  notorious  was  calculated  to  produce.  At 
the  request  of  some  of  his  colleagues  in  the  Association, 
Mr.  Good  drew  up  "- A  History  of  Medicine,  so  far  as  it 
relates  to  the  profession  of  the  Apothecary,  from  the  ear- 
liest accounts  to  the  present  period."  The  work  was 
published  in  1795,  and  served,  in  conjunction  with  the 
labors  of  the  Association,  to  call  the  general  attention  of 
medical  men,  and  of  the  intelligent  portion  of  society,  to 
the  ignorance  above  adverted  to,  and  its  baneful  effects. 
The  institution  was  not  able  to  accomplish  all  that  it  pro- 
jected, but  it  occasioned  the  first  step  in  a  desirable  re- 
formation ;  so  that  druggists  are  now,  in  general,  men  of 
liberal  education,  who  run  little  or  no  risk  of  blundering 
in  the  disgraceful  manner  of  their  predecessors. 

Engaging  very  warmly  in  the  objects  of  this  Associa- 
tion, and  in  others  connected  with  the  science  and  prac- 
tice of  medicine,  still  Mr.  Good  continued  to  pursue  his 
literary  inquiries ;  and,  as  heretofore,  to  soothe  his  mind 
by  the  delights  of  poetry.  The  poets  of  France  and  Italy 
seemed  now  most  to  employ  him ;  and  several  of  his 
translations,  in  the  years  1793, 1794,  and  1795,  are  natu- 
rally marked  with  a  thoughtful  tinge.  Such,  for  example, 
are  the  following  elegantly  pensive  lines. — 


56  MEMOIRS  OF 

TRANSLATION. 

From  Clement e  Bondi  of  Parma. 

(In  Parnasso  degl'  Iinliani  Viventi.) 

Oft  have  I  said  that  death  should  close 

This  life  of  darkness  and  despair  ; 
But  HOPE  as  oft  would  interpose, 

And  say  "  To-morrow  'twill  be  fair." 

To-morrow  came,  alike  unkind, 

Yet  HOPE  alike  refus'd  to  fly ; 
Still,  still  I  see  her — nor  can  find 

A  heart  to  suffer  or  to  die. 

SONNET    TO    PEACE. 

Translated  from  the  same. 

Peace,  born  of  heav'n  !  O  tell  me  where  to  attain, 
Mid  wretched  mortals,  thine  unsullied  rest. 
Thee  the  proud  tyrant,  and  his  golden  crest, 
Thee,  mid  his  flock,  the  shepherd  seeks  in  vain. 

Gold  cannot  buy  thee,  nor  plunvd  honors  gain, 
Too  vile  a  price  for  so  rever'd  a  guest : 
Gay  sports  thou  fliest, — and  every  joy  possess'd 
Palls  without  thee,  or  changes  into  pain. 

In  crowded  cities,  or  the  hermit  shade, 

Rove  we  abroad,  or  rest  at  home  secure, 
Nor  art  nor  skill  can  give  thee  to  our  aid  : 

Where  may  I  find  thee,  then  ? — ah  !  well  I  know — 
Jn  heav'n  alone  thou  dwell'st,  serene  and  pure  : 
Fool  that  I  was !  to  seek  thee  here  below. 

By  this  time,  however,  the  rich  diversity  and  extent  of 
Mr.  Good's  talents  and  acquirements  began  to  be  known, 
and  literary  men  evinced  as  great  an  eagerness  to  culti- 
vate his  acquaintance,  as  he  did  to  avail  himself  of  theirs. 
Fond  of  society,  and  peculiarly  fitted  to  shine  in  it,  he 
had  no  difficulty  in  receiving  and  imparting  the  appropri- 
ate gratification.  Besides  several  of  the  leading  men  in 
the  medical  profession,  he  numbered  among  his  frequent 
associates  at  this  period,  Drs.  Disney,  Rees,  Hunter,  Ged- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 


57 


dea,  Messrs.  Maurice,  Fuzeli,  Charles  Butler,  Gilbert 
Wakefield,  and  others  whose  names  do  not  now  occur  to 
me;  most  of  them  individuals  of  splendid  talents  and  re- 
condite attainments,  but  belonging  to  a  school  of  theolo- 
gy, which  though  he  approved,  he  afterwards  found  it 
conscientiously  necessary  to  abandon.* 

In  the  year  1797,  as  appears  from  a  letter  to  Dr.  Drake, 
Mr.  Good  commenced  his  translation  of  Lucretius.  He 
says,  "  I  have  been  much  urged  to  persevere  by  many  of 
my  most  respectable  friends  of  real  taste ;  and  especially 
by  Gilbert  Wdkejtekf,  who,  by  the  bye,  is  no\v  collating  a 
most  superb  Latin  edition  of  Lucretius."  Of  this  labor, 
which  employed  much  of  our  author's  time  and  thoughts 
for  many  years,  I  shall  speak  more  fully  in  another  place. 

The  undertaking  stimulated  Mr.  Good  to  the  study  of 
various  other  languages,  at  first,  in  order  to  the  successful 
search  of  parallel  passages,  but  ere  long  with  much  more 
enlarged  views.  In  another  letter  to  Dr.  Drake,  dated 
October,  1799,  he  says,  "  I  have  just  begun  the  German 
language,  having  gone  with  tolerable  ease  through  the 
French,  Italian,  Spanish,  and  Portuguese."  In  a  few 
months  afterwards  he  sent  specimens  of  his  translations, 
especially  of  pieces  of  elegant  poetry,  to  the  Doctor  and 
other  friends.  In  December,  1800,  he  informs  him  that 
he  had  been  sedulously  studying  the  Arabic  and  Persian  ; 
and  in  a  short  time  he  gave  proofs  of  his  acquisition  of 
those  languages,  both  by  private  communications  to  his 
friends,  and  by  articles  in  some  of  the  Reviews.t 

Whenever  a  man  distinguishes  himself  by  acquiring  a 
correct  knowledge  of  several  languages,  we  cannot  but 
feel  desirous  to  ascertain  at  least  the  outlines  of  the  plan 
which  he  pursued.  Elementary  instruction  in  languages 
has  hitherto  been  made  almost  entirely  to  depend  upon 
the  faculty  of  memory,  without  an  adequate  regard  to  the 
reflective  and  the  associating  principles  of  the  mind  ;  and 
yet  nothing  can  be  more  obvious  than  the  essential  differ- 
ence between  a  series  of  positive  unconnected  efforts  of 
memory,  and  another  series  which  shall  be  connected  by 
some  law  of  association.  If,  for  example,  a  student  of 
natural  philosophy  be  informed  that  the  hydrostatic  pres- 

•  Unitarian. 

f  The  Russian,  Sanscrit,  Chinese,  and  other  languages,  engaged  his  at- 
tention at  no  very  remote  period. 


58  MEMOIRS   OF 

sure  of  raiu  or  river  water  upon  a  square  inch  at  the  depth 
of  5  feet  is  equal  to  2  pounds  and  3-5ths  avoirdupois,  the 
truth,  however  important,  can  only  be  fixed  in  the  mind 
by  a  frequent  repetition  of  both  numbers ;  and,  even  then, 
there  is  risk  of  their  sliding  from  the  thoughts  after  a 
short  time,  from  the  want  of  an  obvious  connexion  be- 
tween the  numbers  5  and  2  o-5.  But  if  the  student  be 
informed  that  at  the  depth  of  thirty  feet  the  pressure  upon 
a  square  inch  is  equivalent  to  thirteen  pounds,  and  it  be, 
at  the  same  time,  impressed  upon  his  mind  that  the  first 
syllable  of  the  words  thirty  and  thirteen  is  the  same,  the 
law  of  association  tends  to  render  the  impression  perma- 
nent ;  and  the  scientific  truth  will  recur  to  his  thoughts 
whenever  it  is  needed.  So  again,  the  numbers  1  and 
3*141593,  which  express  the  relation  of  the  diameter  to 
the  circumference  of  a  circle,  having  no  natural  con- 
nexion, can  only  be  remembered  positively  after  frequent 
repetition  ;  and  this  would  also  be  the  case  with  the  num- 
bers 113  and  355,  which  express  the  same  relation,  un- 
less it  should  be  explained  to  the  student  that  these 
numbers  are  together  constituted  of  repetitions  in  pairs 
of  the  first  three  odd  numbers,  1,1;  3,  3  ;  5,  5  ;  when 
it  will  really  become  as  difficult  to  forget  the  ratio 
of  1 13  to  355,  as,  without  a  marked  reference  to  this  pe- 
culiarity in  the  sequence  of  the  figures,  it  would  be  found 
to  remember  it.  Now,  if  this  universal  attribute  of  intel- 
lect had  been  understood  by  our  standard  grammarians^ 
would  they  compel  the  youths  who  study  their  works  to 
get  by  rote  five  very  bad  hexameter  verses,  in  an  un- 
known language,  in  order  that  they  might  learn,  what  all 
but  the  veriest  dunces  knew  before,  that  the  names  of 
gods  and  men  are  masculine,  while  those  of  goddesses 
and  women  are  of  the  feminine  gender  ?  Or,  would 
they,  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  that  the  nouns  ftnius 
and  spon ^alia  are  seldom  used  in  the  singular  number, 
compel  them  to  learn  "  Ftinusju&ta  petit,  petit  ct  spi'tita- 
lia  virgo,"  to  learn,  that  is,  in  plain  English,  that  "  a  fu- 
neral requires  solemnities,  and  a  virgin  requires  espou- 
sals."— to  learn  seven  Latin  words  in  order  that  they  may 
recollect  two  ?  Certainly,  no  man  who  understands  many 
languages  ever  acquired  them  thus. 

When  that  extraordinary  youth,  Barretter,  learned  the 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  59 

French.  Gorman,  and  Latin,  at  a  very  early  age,  he  was 
not,  says  Dr.  Johnson,  "  taught  in  the  common  way  by  a 
multitude  of  definitions,  rules,  and  exceptions,  which  fa- 
tigue the  attention,  and  burden  the  memory,  without  any 
use  proportionate  to  the  time  which  they  require,  and  the 
disgust  which  they  create,"  but  he  learned  them  all  in 
the  same  manner,  and  almost  at  the  same  time,  by  con- 
versing in  them  indifferently  with  his  father.  "  The  oth- 
er languages  of  which  he  was  master,  he  learned  by  a 
method  yet  more  uncommon.  The  only  book  which  he 
made  use  of  was  the  Bible,  which  his  lather  laid  before 
him  in  the  language  that  he  then  proposed  to  learn,  ac- 
companied with  a  translation,  being  taught  by  degrees 
the  inflections  of  nouns  and  verbs."  This  latter  method, 
although  open  to  objection,  has  the  advantage  of  being 
founded  upon  the  principle  of  association. 

Mr.  Good  seems  early  to  have  caught,  and  steadily  to 
have  pursued  and  applied,  the  same  principle.  Before 
he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe  that  he  had  attentively  studied,  and  reduced  to  an 
intellectual  classification,  the  results  collected  by  Cham- 
berlayne  in  his  "Oratio  Dominica  in  omnium  fore  gentium 
lingua*  versa."  From  the  perusal  of  the  first  volumes  of 
"  Asiatic  Researches,"  he  derived  a  confirmation  of  his 
own  conjecture,  that  all  languages  have  a  common  origin. 
It  was  but  natural  to  a  spirit  so  fond  of  generalizing,  of 
tracing  analogies  and  resemblances,  as  his,  to  work  out 
this  idea.  He  sought,  and  thought  that  he  found,  a  gen- 
eral unity  of  principle  ;  that  the  common  divisions  and 
rules  of  one  language  are  the  common  divisions  and  rules 
of  the  whole  ;  that,  hence,  every  national  grammar  is,  in 
a  certain  sense,  a  universal  grammar  ;  and  that  there  is 
often  a  uniform  employment  of  the  very  same  terms,  in 
a  great  variety  of  languages,  to  express  the  very  same 
ideas.  This  being  completely  established  in  his  mind, 
the  principle  of  association  was  brought  into  full  exercise, 
and  his  classified  store,  which  was  augmenting  almost 
daily,  served  greatly  to  diminish  the  labor  of  studying  a 
new  language;  and  indeed,  as  may  naturally  be  expected, 
rendered  the  attainment  of  every  fresh  language  easier 
than  that  of  the  preceding.  He  believed  that  certain 
terms  which  served  to  mark  the  relation  of  man  with 


60 


MEMOIRS    OF 


things  about  him,  or  of  man  with  man,  as  those  indica- 
tive of  earth,  sky,  death,  Deity,  father,  brother,  man,  &/c. 
would  be  nearly  the  same  under  every  change  of  time,  or 
variety  of  climate  ;  and  he  found  it  so.  .He  was  hence 
led  to  classify  the  words  which  express  the  numerals,  the 
ordinals,  common  nouns,  the  declension  of  nouns,  of 
adjectives,  the  conjugations  of  verbs,  &c.,  and  detected 
affinities  and  relations  which  would  not  fail  to  surprise 
those  who  have  not  engaged  in  such  pursuits  ;  but  many 
of  which,  however,  are  now  rendered  familiar  to  men  of 
reading,  by  the  works  of  Colebrook,  Townsend,  Ad  clung, 
&/c.  Fearful  of  rendering  an  inquiry  dry,  which  I  have 
not  the  power  to  make  instructive,  I  shall  only  present  a 
few  of  the  examples  selected  by  Mr.  Good  himself  assu- 
ming the  Sanscrit  as  the  common  parent. 

The  following  is  the  present  tense  of  the  verb  substan- 
tive : 

Sanscrit     .  Asmi     .  asi     .  asti  — smah     .  st'ha       .  santi. 


Greek 

Russian 

Latin 

Persian 

Welsh 

Eno-lish 


.  17-fJll 

,  esm 
,  sum 
.  am 
.wyv 
am 


•  wyt 
.art 


est  —  esmui  .  esti  .  sot. 

est  —  sumus  .  estis  .  sunt. 

ast  —  aim  .  ai'd'  .  and. 

oes  — ym  .  ych  .  ynt. 

.  is  —  are  .  are  .  are. 


This  verb  is  defective  in  many  languages.  In  Latin 
and  in  Welsh  several  tenses  are  formed  from  an  old  verb, 
which  only  survives  in  the  Sanscrit  in  a  tolerably  perfect 
form.  This  is  Bhavanii,  bhavasi,  bhavati,  &c.  answering 
to  the  German  ich  bin,  du  bist,  foe.  The  preter  tense 
of  this  verb  in  Latin,  Fui,  fuisti,  fuit,  coincides  with  the 
Welsh  Bum,  buost,  bii  ;  and  the  Latin  fuissem,  fuisses, 
fuisset,  &c.  with  the  Welsh  Buaswn,  buasit,  buasai,  bua- 
sem,  buasech,  buasent.  The  future  in  the  Russian  agrees 
with  the  Welsh,  as  Budu,  budesh,  budet  —  budem,  &,c., 
which,  in  Welsh,  is  Byddav  (pronounced  budhav,)  byddi, 
bydd  —  byddwn,  byddwch,  byddant. 

The  verb  to  eat  coincides  almost  as  closely  : 


Sanscrit.   Adrni  .   atsi         .   atti     —  admas     .  att'lia  adanti. 


Latin. 

Edo 

.  edis, 

.   edit, 

—  edimus 

.  editis  edunt. 

es 

.   est 

estis 

Greek. 

tfai 

.     lift!! 

i<f« 

c^o//W 

.  WW<    iiTbvri 

Russian. 

iem 

.   iesh 

.   ieat 

—  iedim 

.  iedite  iedyat. 

German. 

esse 

.   issest 

.   isst 

—  essen 

.  esset  essen. 

(JJol.) 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  61 

Some  Sanscrit  verbs  coincide  most  with  the  Greek, 
others  the  Latin, 

as  Jivami  jivasi  jivati  —  jivamah  jivathah  jivanti, 
with  Vivo      vivis    vivit   —  vivimus  vivitis     vivunt. 

Dadami,  dadasi,  dadate.  with  ftJ~(*i,  <f«te,  tt£Z.<rt,  &c. 


Possessing  such  means  of  exfoliating  the  affinities  of 
language,  and  growing  collections  of  classified  facts,  Mr. 
Good  turned  to  the  study  of  a  new  language  with  delight. 
A  dictionary,  a  standard  grammar,  his  own  tables,  and 
an  excellent  memory,  enabled  him  to  set  to  work  upon 
one  or  two  of  the  best  authors  in  the  language  selected. 
Perhaps  he  made  but  little  progress  at  first  ;  but  so  soon 
as  he  had  unveiled  enough  of  the  structure  and  genius  of 
the  language  to  apply  to  it  his  principles  of  generaliza- 
tion and  association,  the  remaining  task  was  compara- 
tively easy,  and  he  soon  accomplished  his  wishes.  This 
process,  it  is  true,^did  not  make  him  critically  master  of 
every  language  to  which  he  directed  his  attention  ;  but 
it  gave  him  the  capacity  of  detecting  and  relishing  the 
beauties  of  the  best  authors  in  those  which  he  was  most 
anxious  to  explore  ;  and  it  supplied  him  with  views  of 
the  general  analogies  of  language,  as  well  as  of  the  diver- 
sities and  peculiarities  which  prevented  those  general 
analogies  from  becoming  universal,  more  comprehensive, 
and  more  practical  than  any  other  person,  (except  he 
were  a  linguist  merely)  whom  I  have  had  the  happiness 
to  kno\v. 

But  it  is  time  I  should  pursue  my  narrative.  From  the 
year  1797  to  1803  or  1804,  Mr.  Good  contributed  largely 
to  some  of  the  Reviews  and  other  periodical  publications. 
The  Analytical  and  Critical  Reviews  were  those  in  which 
his  productions  usually  appeared  :  though  there  are  a  few 
very  interesting  specimens  of  his  taste  and  erudition  in 
the  British  and  the  Monthly  Magazines.  Thus,  in  the 
latter  magazine  for  August,  1800,  there  is  a  paper  on 
German  Literature,  with  two  translations  from  Klopstock's 
Messias.  And  in  the  number  for  January,  1801,  there 
is  an  elegant  communication  on  the  resemblance  of  Per- 
sian and  Arabic  poetry  to  the  Greek  and  Roman,  with 
several  spirited  versions.  But,  during  greater  part  of 
this,  and  even  a  longer  period,  his  principal  commuuica- 

6 

« 


O*  MEMOIRS  OP 

tions  were  to  the  Critical  Review ;  of  which,  indeed,  he 
was  for  some  time  the  editor,  and  the  labor  of  preparing 
the  most  elaborate  articles  often  devolved  upon  him.  It 
has  not  been  in  my  power  to  obtain  a  list  of  these  ;  so 
that  I  am  only  able  to  specify  the  critiques  upon  Hindley's 
Persian  Lyrics,  Allwood's  Literary  Antiquities  of  Greece, 
and  of  some  poems  by  Sir  B.  Burgess  and  Mrs.  Cowley. 
In  the  beginning  of  1803,  his  labors  were  still  more 
multifarious.  He  was  finishing  his  translation  of  Solo- 
mon's "Song  of  Songs,"  carrying  on  his  life  of  Dr.  Ged- 
des,  walking  from  twelve  to  fourteen  miles  a  day,  that  he 
might  see  his  numerous  patients  :  nor  was  this  all.  In  a 
letter  to  Dr.  Drake,  (dated  Jan.  29, 1803,)  after  speaking 
of  these  engagements,  and  adverting  with  thankfulness 
to  the  state  of  his  business  as  a  surgeon,  (which  then 
produced  more  than  =£'1400  per  annum,  he  proceeds  thus: 

"  I  have  edited  the  Critical  Review,  besides  writing 
several  of  its  most  elaborate  articles — I  have  every  week 
supplied  a  column  of  matter  for  the  Sunday  Review — and 
have  for  some  days  had  the  great  weight  of  the  British 
Press  upon  my  hands  ;  the  Committee  for  conducting 
which  having  applied  to  me  lately,  in  the  utmost  consterna- 
tion, in  consequence  of  a  trick  put  upon  them  by  the  pro- 
prietors of  other  newspapers,  and  which  stopped  abruptly 
the  exertions  of  their  editor  and  several  of  their  most 
valuable  hands." 

So  great  a  variety  of  occupations  would  have  thrown 
most  men  into  confusion  :  but  such  was  the  energy  of 
Mr.  Good's  mind,  such  his  habits  of  activity  and  order, 
that  he  carried  them  all  forward  simultaneously,  suffer- 
ing none  to  be  neglected,  left  in  arrear,  or  inadequately 
executed. 

Towards  the  end  of  this  busy  year,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Good  were  called  to  sustain  a  heavy  trial,  in  the  death  of 
their  only  son  ;  a  child  who  evinced  a  most  cheerful  and 
amiable  disposition,  manners  that  were  remarkably  fas- 
cinating, with  precocious,  yet  constantly  aspiring  intel- 
lectual powers.  Mr.  Good,  for  a  season  sunk  under  the 
pressure  of  his  affliction,  in  a  way  that  greatly  alarmed 
his  friends.  He  felt  all  the  agony  that  such  a  stroke 
was  likely  to  inflict  on  an  affectionate  heart ;  a  stroke 
whose  magnitude  can  only  be  duly  estimated  by  those 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  63 

who  have  sustained  it ;  but  neither  in  his  own  judgment, 
nor  in  that  of  his  family,  did  he  derive  from  it  the  salutar 
ry  lesson,  even  as  to  the  precarious  tenure  of  earthly  bles- 
sings, which  it  was  calculated  to  impart ;  and  long  indeed 
was  it  before  he  could  acquiesce  in  the  Divine  dispensa- 
tion, and  adopt  the  language,  "  It  is  well."  Nearly 
eight  years  afterwards,  it  pleased  the  Supreme  Disposer 
of  events  to  visit  the  writer  of  these  pages  with  a  similar 
affliction  :  and  among  the  letters  of  condolence  and  sym- 
pathy which  he  received  on  that  mournful  occasion,  was 
the  following  from  his  valued  friend  Mr.  Good,  which 
presents  the  most  striking  evidence  of  the  state  of  deep 
feeling  with  which  he,  even  then,  contemplated  his  own 
loss. 

Caroline  Place,  May  7th,  1811. 

"My  very  dear  Friend, 

"  With  no  common  feeling  do  I  sympathize  with 
you.  Your  letter  has  touched  upon  a  string  which 
vibrates  with  so  much  agony  through  my  heart  and  brain, 
and  I  fear  will  ever  continue  to  do  so,  that  I  fly  from  it 
upon  all  occasions  like  the  stricken  deer  from  the  hunter. 
You  have  indeed  conjectured  right,  and  the  similarity  of 
our  trials  is  peculiarly  remarkable.  I,  like  you,  had  every 
thing  I  could  wish  for  in  one — one  only.  I  enjoyed  the 
present,  I  feasted  on  the  future  ; — at  the  age  of  twelve, 
the  same  fatal  disease  made  its  attack — the  result  was  the 
same — and  my  arms,  like  yours,  formed  a  pillow  during 
the  last  gasp  :  there  was  the  same  sense  of  piety  while 
living,  and  the  same  prominent  shoot  of  genius.  The 
master  of  the  Charter  House,  in  a  letter  to  me  on  the 
occasion,  bewailed  the  loss  of  one  of  their  most  promising 
blossoms ;  and  a  variety  of  little  effusions  both  in  prose 
and  verse  found  in  the  well-known  hand  afterwards,  but 
never  shewn  to  any  one,  and  written  for  personal  amuse- 
ment alone,  seemed  sufficiently  to  justify  the  opinion  so 
generally  entertained. 

"  But  here,  my  dear  friend,  I  am  afraid  I  must  drop 
the  parallel :  for  in  the  weakness  of  my  heart  I  freely 
confess  I  have  not  yet  acquired  that  strength  of  duty 
which  you  are  already  enabled  to  manifest. 


64  MEMOIRS    OP 

"  I  dare  not  examine  myself  as  to  what  I  should  wish 
for,  if  it  were  in  my  power — all  I  have  hitherto  been 
able  to  say  is,  '  Thy  will  be  done  !' 

"  Mr.  L was   with  us  when  your  letter  arrived : 

we  were  listening  to  a  new  and  most  sweetly  impressive 
anthem,  '  My  song  shall  be  of  judgment  and  of  mercy  !  To 
thee,  O  Lord,  will  1  sing.'  What  could  be  more  appro- 
priate, even  if  we  had  been  aware  of  the  melancholy  fact, 
and  could  have  foreseen  your  distressing  communication  ? 
It  struck  us  forcibly, — and  we  dwelt  on  the  coincidence. 
The  judgment  is  unquestionable  ;  but  is  not  the  mercy, 
my  excellent  friend,  equally  visible?  Your  own  pious 
reflections  will  suggest  a  thousand  proofs  that  it  is  :  I  will 
only  repeat  the  remark  that  was  most  obvious  to  our- 
selves ;  that  had  this  affliction  happened  about  a  year 
and  a  half  ago,  when  you  were  living  alone,  and  had  no 
such  affectionate  nurse  to  have  co-operated  with  you, — 
no  such  bosom  comforter  to  have  supported  you. — severe 
as  it  is,  it  must  be  of  a  character  far  severer  still. 
There  are  a  few  gracious  drops  intermixed  with  every 
cup  of  bitterness — or  how  could  man  at  times  endure  the 
draught  ?  You  have  them  from  this  source  :  you  have 
them  from  the  recollection  of  having  sown  the  good  seed 
at  an  early  hour,  in  the  best  of  seasons,  and  in  a  propi- 
tious soil:  but,  most  of  all,  you  have  them  in  the  harvest 
that  has  already  been  produced, — in  the  safe  deposit  of 
the  grain  in  its  imperishable  garner.  It  is  accomplished  : 
the  great  task  intrusted  to  you  is  executed — the  object 
of  life  is  rendered  secure — the  gulf  is  forded:  the  haven 
of  happiness  has  hold  on  the  anchor. 

"  We  will  certainly  see  you  in  a  short  time  :  Mrs.  Good 
intends  herself  to  write  to-morrow,  or  next  day.  In  the 
mean  while,  give  our  affectionate  regards  to  Mrs.  Gregory, 
for  whose  health  we  are  very  anxious,  accept  our  best 
wishes  and  prayers,  and  believe  me,  as  ever,  yours, 

"J.  M.  GOOD." 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  Mr.  Good  commenced 
his  translation  of  Lucretius  in  the  year  1797.  This 
work  he  undertook  partly  at  the  entreaty  of  his  literary 
friends ;  but  principally,  as  I  have  more  than  once  heard 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  65 

him  state,  that  he  might  bring  himself  under  something 
like  the  urgency  of  a  moral  necessity  to  become  thorough- 
ly acquainted  with  the  utmost  possible  variety  of  subjects, 
upon  which  men  of  literature,  science,  and  investigation, 
had  been  able  to  throw  any  light.  For  this  purpose  he 
could  not,  probably,  have  made  a  happier  selection  than 
that  of  Lucretius  "  on  the  Nature  of  Things,"  in  which 
the  topics  are  as  greatly  diversified  as  the  general  title  of 
the  poem  seems  to  indicate.  The  translation  itself  was 
finished  in  October  1799,  having  been  carried  through 
in  a  way  very  unusual  with  works  of  such  magnitude  : 
it  was  composed  in  t/ic  struts  of  London  during  the  trans- 
lator's extensive  walks,  to  visit  his  numerous  patients. 
His  practice  was  to  take  in  his  pocket  two  or  three  leaves 
of  an  octavo  edition  of  the  original  (I  believe,  that  of 
Marchetti's,)  the  text  being  corrected  by  collation  with 
Wakefield's  ;  to  read  over  a  passage  two  or  three  times 
as  he  walked  along,  until  he  had  engraven  it  upon  his 
ready  memory ;  then  to  translate  the  passage,  meditate 
upon  his  translation,  correct  and  elaborate  it,  until  he 
had  satisfied  himself.  Having  accomplished  this,  the 
bare  sight  of  the  original  brought  to  mind  his  own  trans- 
lation, with  all  its  peculiarities.  In  the  same  manner 
would  he  proceed  with  a  second,  third,  and  fourth  pas- 
sage ;  and  after  he  had  returned  home,  and  disposed  of 
all  his  professional  business,  he  would  go  to  his  standing 
desk,  and  enter  upon  his  manuscript  so  much  of  the  trans- 
lation as  he  had  been  able  to  prepare  satisfactorily. 
While  he  was  carrying  on  the  translation,  he  was  also 
levying  his  contributions  towards  the  notes  ;  a  part  of  the 
work,  however,  which  called  for  much  more  labor,  and 
occupied  far  more  of  his  time.  The  translation  was  not 
published  until  1805,  and  scarcely  a  day  passed  in  the  six 
previous  years,  in  which  he  did  not  either  add  to  the  notes, 
or  in  his  own  estimation  give  greater  accuracy  .and  elegance 
to  some  parts  of  his  version.  He  obtained  access  to  the 
British  Museum,  and  other  public  libraries  in  the  metrop- 
olis, and  by  fully  availing  himself  of  these  advantages, 
considerably  enriched  the  running  commentary  upon  his 
favorite  author.  The  avidity  with  which  he  embraced 
every  opportunity  to  render  his  translation  correct,  will 
*6 


66  MEMOIRS    OF 

appear  in  the  subjoined  extract  from  a  letter  to  his  literary 
friend  at  Hadleigh,  bearing  date  September,  1798. 

"  I  do  not  know  whether  among  the  extracts  you  have 
done  me  the  honor  to  select  from  my  version,*  you  have 
made  choice  of  that  which  I  have  given  as  a  specimen 
in  my  Prospectus — I  mean  the  little  episode  on  the  sac- 
rifice of  Iphigenia.  There  is  an  error  which  has  crept 
into  the  last  line  but  one  of  my  translation,  owing  to  my 
having  forgotten  the  actual  state  of  the  Grecian  fleet  at 
the  time  the  sacrifice  was  demanded,  and  to  my  not  hav- 
ing had  an  opportunity  of  consulting  the  Iphigenia  of 
Euripides  upon  the  subject.  Having,  however,  obtained 
of  late  a  perpetual  admission  into  the  reading-rooms  of 
the  British  Museum,  among  other  books,!  have  been  again 
reading  this  part  of  the  dramas  of  the  Greek  poet — and  I 
find  that  on  the  demand  of  Chalchas  the  fleet  was  not  in  a 
storm,  which  such  a  sacrifice  was  necessary  to  extricate 
it  from,  but  absolutely  lying  without  wind  in  the  harbor  at 
Aulis,  and  so  totally  becalmed  that  it  could  not  possibly 
proceed  to  sea.  It  was  to  obtain  a  breeze,  therefore,  and 
to  get  liberated  from  this  imprisonment,  that  Chalchas 
insisted  upon  the  death  of  Iphigenia ;  and  the  verse  to 
which  I  refer,  instead  of  being, 

"  Of  Grecian  navies  rescued  thus  from  storms," 
should  be  corrected, 

"  Of  Grecian  navies  favor'd  thus  with  gales." 

The  Latin  of  Lucretius  will   apply  equally  to  both, 
whether  a  happy  escape  from  port,  or  from  tempests  : — 
"  Exitus  ut  class!  felix  faustusque  daretur." 

It  is  interesting,  however,  to  remark,  since  it  serves  to 
shew  how  completely  Dr.  Good's  translation  was  his  own, 
and  how  little  he  was  beholden  to  his  precursors  in  the 
same  region  of  labor,  that  in  the  free  translation  given  in 
what  is  usually  called  Guernier's  edition  (published  in 
1743,)  the  verse  in  question  is  rendered, 

"  Only  to  beg  a  kind  propitious  gale  for  Grecian  ships," 
agreeing  in  spirit  with  Mr.  Good's  amended  line. 

*  That  is,  for  the  purpose  of  insertion  in  "  The  Literary  Hours." 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  67 

Mr.  Good  continued  thus  for  several  years  to  devote  a 
portion  of  almost  every  day  to  this  great  undertaking  : 
nor  was  the  incessant  assiduity  with  which  he  pursued 
it,  together  with  the  extensive  range  of  his  professional 
exertions,  sufficient  to  stifle  his  ardor,  or  to  weigh  down 
and  oppress  his  then  inexhaustible  activity.  Other  re- 
gions of  inquiry  invited  his  curiosity,  and  corresponding 
occupations  demanded  their  share  of  his  time  and 
powers.*  I  shall  here  present  a  mere  catalogue  of  the 
publications  which  engaged  his  attention  for  a  few  years, 
reserving  my  analysis  of  the  principal  of  them,  as  indeed 
of  all  his  works,  to  the  second  section  of  these  Memoirs. 

Second  Address  to  the  Members  of  the  Corporation  of 
Surgeons  of  London,  1800. 

Song  of  Songs,  or  Sacred  Idyls,  1803. 

Memoirs  of  the  Life  and  Writings  of  Dr.  Geddes,  1803. 

Dissertation  on  the  best  means  of  Employing  the  Poor 
in  Parish  Workhouses,  1805. 

Translation  of  Lucretius  De  Rerum  Natura,  1805. 

Anniversary  Oration  delivered  before  the  Medical  So- 
ciety of  London,  1808. 

Essay  on  Medical  Technology,  1810. 

Translation  of  the  Book  of  Job,  1812. 

New  Edition  of  Mr.  Mason's  Treatise  on  Self-know- 
ledge, with  Memoirs  of  the  Author,  and  Translations  of 
those  portions  of  the  notes  which  are  in  Greek,  Latin,  and 
other  foreign  languages. 

Pantologia,  or  Universal  Dictionary  of  Arts,  Sciences, 
and  Words  :  in  conjuncton  with  Mr.  Newton  Bosworth, 
(then  of  Cambridge)  and  myself.  This  work,  which  was 
published  in  twelve  thick  and  closely  printed  volumes, 
royal  8vo.,  occupied  much  of  Mr.  Good's  time  from  the 
end  of  1804,  to  the  end  of  1812.t 

*  Indeed,  his  practical  maxim  was  akin  to  that  of  another  eminent  indi- 
vidual of  indefatigable  application,  the  late  Dr.  E.  D.  Clarke,  who  said,  "I 
have  lived  to  know  that  the  great  secret  of  human  happiness  is  this  : — Never 
suffer  your  energies  to  stagnate.  The  old  adage  r>(  '  Too  many  irons  in 
the  fire,'  conveys  an  abominable  lie.  You  cannot  have  too  many  ;  poker, 
tongs,  and  all — keep  them  all  going." 

t  In  the  year  1800,  there  appeared  an  anonymous  satirical  poem  in  three 
cantos,  entitled  the  Millennium,  which  has  been  generally  ascribed  to  our 
author.  For  some  years  he  contributed  largely  to  Dodslcy's  Annual  Reg- 
ister; taking,  1  believe,  the  entire  departments  of  Natural  History  and 
Philosophy,  of  general  literature,  and  of  Poetry,  and  Belles-lettres.  He  al«o 


68  MEMOIRS    OF 

The  Pantologia  was  commenced  by  Mr.  Bosworth  and 
myself  in  1802.  On  my  removal  to  Woolwich  in  January 
1803,  another  gentleman  was  associated  with  us,  who, 
however,  in  consequence  of  an  unexpected  accession  of 
property,  retired  from  the  labor  in  about  twelve  months. 
Shortly  afterwards  a  speculating  bookseller,  who  had 
ascertained  that  this  Universal  Dictionary  was  in  pre- 
paration, with  a  view  to  anticipate  us  both  in  object  and 
name,  commenced  the  publication  of  a  new  Cyclopedia, 
of  which  Dr.  George  Gregory  was  announced  as  the 
editor,  while,  in  fact,  the  late  Mr.  Jeremiah  Joyce  w;is 
the  principal,  if  not  the  only,  person  engaged  upon  the 
work.  This  rnanoauvre  suggested  the  expediency  of  new 
arrangements,  as  well  as  of  a  new  title  for  our  Encyclo- 
pedia; and  Mr.  Good  having  recently  published  his  "  Song 
of  Songs"  at  Mr.  Kearsley's  the  bookseller,  who  was  the 
chief  proprietor  of  the  new  undertaking,  his  high  reputa- 
tion for  erudition,  and  for  punctuality  in  the  execution 
of  his  engagements,  induced  us  to  look  to  him  as  an 
admirably  qualified  individual  to  co-operate  with  us  in 
our  important  enterprise.  Some  time  elapsed  before  we 
could  overcome  his  objections  to  the  placing  his  name 
Jirst  on  the  title-page  of  a  work,  of  which  he  was  not  to 
take  the  general  superintendence  :  but  at  length  the  scru- 
ple was  removed  ;  and  from  1805,  when  our  joint  prepara- 
tions commenced,  to  the  spring  of  1813,  when  the  task  was 
completed,  when  he  continued  with  the  utmost  prompt- 
ness, regularity  and  versatility  of  talent,  to  supply  the 
various  articles  and  treatises  that  were  comprehended  in 
the  extensive  portion  of  the  Dictionary  which  he  under- 
took to  compose. 

From  the  very  date  of  this  arrangement  I  felt  desirous 
to  cultivate  a  wanner  intimacy  with  my  new  associate 
than  was  absolutely  necessary  to  promote  the  objects  of 
our  literary  coalition.  I  soon  found  that  he  was  as  esti- 
mable in  domestic  and  social  life,  as  he  was  eminent  in 
the  walks  of  literature ;  that  as  a  husband  and  father  he 
was  uniformly  affectionate  and  attentive,  as  a  friend 

assisted  Mr.  Wootlfall  in  the  arrangement  of  the  materials  in  his  edition  of 
Junius's  Letters,  published  in  1812,  and  in  investigating  and  balancing-  the 
claims  of  diflerent  individuaJs  to  the  authorship  of  those  extraordinary  pro- 
ductions. 


'DR.    MASON    GOOD.  69 

cordial  and  sincere,  as  a  companion  remarkably  enter- 
taining and  instructive,  equally  enjoying  and  promoting 
"the  least  of  reason  and  the  flow  of  soul."  His  ordinary 
deportment  was  marked  by  a  suavity  and  hilarity  that 
were  peculiarly  engaging.  His  buoyancy  of  spirits  led 
him  to  join  with  vivacity  in  conversation,  which  he 
greatly  enriched  from  his  copious  intellectual  stores.  He 
would  sometimes  take  a  part  in  animated  discussions ; 
yet  the  usual  position  of  his  mind  was  at  the  utmost  pos- 
sible remove  from  a  spirit  of  disputation,  and  he  very 
rarely  (so  far  as  I  recollect)  adverted  to  theological  or 
political  topics  of  dispute.  Although  in  conversation  he 
usually  contributed  his  full  share,  yet  he  evinced  no 
desire  to  lead,  but  was  as  ready  to  listen  as  to  speak.  He 
made  no  effort  to  shine ;  and  was  seldom  tempted  to 
ornament  his  discourse  with  scraps  and  patches  from  the 
learned  languages  ;  regarding  that  art  as  very  poor,  in 
which  any  person  may  become  an  adept  by  devoting  a 
week  to  the  study  of  the  "  Dictionary  of  Quotations." 
What  was  far  better,  when  the  conversation  took  a  lite- 
rary or  scientific  turn,  he  would,  with  almost  unfailing 
promptness  enliven  and  adorn  it  by  those  appropriate 
facts  and  illustrations  which  his  comprehensive  acquain- 
tance with  the  general  range  of  human  knowledge  ena- 
bled him  at  once  to  supply.  It  was  only  in  the  compari- 
son of  parallel  passages  from  writers  of  different  ages 
and  countries,  that  he  was  wont  to  indulge  in  quotations  ; 
and  then  he  often  produced  them  with  a  felicitous  exu- 
berance which  they  who  have  read  the  notes  to  his 
"  Lucretius,"  "  Song  of  Songs,"  and  "  Book  of  Job," 
may  easily  conceive.  Cheerfulness,  activity,  frankness, 
acutcness  of  intellect,  and  kindness  of  heart,  were  so 
obviously  the  main  ingredients  in  his  character,  that 
before  I  had  known  him  a  month,  I  could  not  but  say  of 
him,  as  Mr.  Burke  of  one  of  his  friends' — "  Certainly  he 
is  a  man  formed  to  be  admired  and  loved." 

An  individual  of  ordinary  character,  with  such  a  varie- 
ty of  pursuits  as  occupied  the  attention  of  Mr.  Good  from 
1800  to  1812,  would  inevitably  have  neglected  some  of 
them.  But  with  him  this  was  never  allowed  to  happen. 
He  was  then  blessed  with  the  full  maturity  of  all  his 
powers  bodily  and  mental,  and  delighted  in  nothing  so 


TO  MEMOIRS  OP 

much  as  constant  employment.  He  has  frequently  re- 
marked to  me,  that  when  he  began  to  be  a  little  weary  of 
one  pursuit,  the  mere  transition  to  another  would  annihi- 
late the  sense  of  fatigue  ;  and  thus  he  could  pass  to  five 
or  six  distinct  topics  of  interesting  research  within  the 
compass  of  twelve  hours,  and  enter  upon  each  with  as 
much  freshness  and  vigor  as  though  he  had  just  arisen 
from  a  good  night's  sleep.  Thus,  with  him  every  new 
undertaking  was,  by  a  constant  progress,  advancing  to  its 
maturity  without  any  apparent  interruption ;  and  no 
sooner  was  one  brought  to  a  successful  termination,  than 
another  took  its  place  ;  the  mental  mechanism  moving 
onward  with  a  constancy  and  uniformity  analogous  to  that 
which  we  sometimes  witness  in  complex  machinery  urged 
by  material  agents. 

In  the  autumn  of  1810  Mr.  Good  was  invited  to 
deliver  a  series  of  Lectures  at  the  Surrey  Institution, 
"  on  any  subject,  literary  or  scientific,  which  would  be 
agreeable  to  himself."  He  acceded  to  the  request  of  the 
"Directors,  and  delivered  his  first  course  in  the  ensuing 
winter,  to  a  crowded  audience,  who  were  so  highly  grati- 
fied and  instructed,  that  he  was  entreated  to  persevere. 
This  led  to  the  delivery  of  a  second  and  a  third  series, 
in  the  two  succeeding  winters.  The  First  Series,  in 
fifteen  lectures,  treated  of  the  "  Nature  of  the  Material 
World  ;  and  the  scale  of  unorganized  and  organic  tribes 
that  issue  from  it :"  The  Second  Series,  in  thirteen 
lectures,  developed  the  "Nature  of  the  Animate  World; 
its  peculiar  powers  and  external  relations ;  the  means  of 
communicating  ideas ;  the  formation  of  society ;"  and 
the  Third,  in  fifteen  lectures,  was  devoted  to  the  "  Nature 
of  the  Mind;  its  general  faculties  and  furniture." 

The  plan  is  sufficiently  extensive,  but  would  have  been 
rendered  still  more  so  in  subsequent  years,  had  not  an 
augmented  sphere  of  professional  duties  compelled  Mr. 
Good,  notwithstanding  the  most  urgent  persuasions  to 
the  contrary,  to  relinquish  the  occupation  of  a  lecturer. 
In  this  mode  of  imparting  instruction,  however,  he  was 
equally  qualified  to  command  attention,  and  to  ensure  suc- 
cess. His  delivery  was  good  ;  he  had  the  most  entire 
eelf-possession,  and  was  always  master,  not  only  of  his 
subject,  but  of  his  lecture.  Although  his  manuscript  notes 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  71 

lay  before  him,  he  seldom  referred  to  them  more  than  by 
a  glance  ;  so  that,  instead  of  merely  reading,  a  practice 
which  is  as  much  calculated  to  neutralize  the  efforts  of 
the  lecturer  (and  indeed  of  every  public  teacher)  as  it 
would  be  to  destroy  those  of  the  legal  advocate  at  the 
bar,  he  gave  to  his  lectures  all  the  correct  expression 
of  well-studied  addresses  delivered  from  memory,  but 
enriched  with  those  extemporaneous  additions  which 
spontaneously  occur  to  a  speaker  of  sentiment  and  feel- 
ing, when  surrounded  by  a  numerous  and  attentive  audi- 
tory.* Instead  of  poring  with  monotonous  dulness  over 
his  papers,  his  eyes  passed  incessantly  over  the  entire 
assembly  ;  and  thus  when  the  countenance  of  an  auditor 
indicated  a  want  of  comprehension  of  the  subject,  the 
lecturer,  either  by  amplification,  or  repetition  with  slight 
variety,  removed  the  defect.  His  language  and  manner, 
always  good,  at  times  assumed  a  tone  of  impassioned  elo- 
quence which  was  deeply  impressive. 

With  these  qualifications,  and  with  the  rich  variety 
of  topics  he  introduced,  it  was  natural  that  his  lectures 
should  be  popular.  His  success  was  highly  gratifying  to 
himself,  and  on  the  conclusion  of  the  first  course,  he  thus 
speaks  in  a  confidential  letter  to  a  literary  friend : — 
"  Upon  the  whole,  I  may  say  that  I  have  had  crowded 
audiences  throughout,  though  the  lecture-room  held  500 
persons — the  usual  English  greeting  on  entering  and 

*  After  the  experience  of  many  ye  rs,  I  need  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  my 
yiews,  as  to  this  point,  accord  most  fully  with  ilvse  of  Professor  Jardtne,  as 
exhibited  in  his  "  Outlines  of  Philosophical  Education,"  pp.  2G1 — 2oi'.  I 
will  not  quote  any  portion  of  his  judicious  observation ;  but  most  earnestly 
recommend  the  whole  work  to  the  attentive  perusal  of  all  who  have  the 
charge  of  instructing  youth. 

~  A  letter  from  the  celebrated  Baron  Cuvier.  which  I  have  recently  perused, 
communicates  similar  opinious  in  a  brief,  but  instructive  passage,  which  I 
shall  here  subjoin. 

"  Je  crois  que  la  plupart  <les  professeurs  de  Londres  lisent  leurs  legons. 
Rien  n'est  plus  froid  ;  ricn  n'cst  moins  incourageant,  nioins  excitant  pour  la 
Jeunesse.  Quils  ayent  un  abrege  imprime  des  principes  de  leurs  sciences, 
abrege  que  chaquc  eleve  aura  en  main ;  mais  quils  le  developpent  d'  abon- 
dance  ;  quils  improvisenl  les  explications  les  examples;  quils  sachenten  un 
mot  animer  l<-urs  elevesdu  me  me  feu  qui  lei  penetre.  C'est  une  condition 
cssentielle  d'une  bonnJ  Universite.  A  1'a:  i*,  un  Professcur  qui  lit  n'a  pa* 
vingt  cloves  ;  celui  qui  im|  revise,  pourpcu  quil  ail  de  facilite,  en  voit  ac- 
eourir  des  centaines.  L'amour  do  l.i  science,  cette  passion  sans  la  quelle 
on  reste  toujours  mediocre,  veut  etre  inculque  comme  lous  les  autres  senti- 
mens.  L'imaguialion  doit  souteuir  la  raUon  lui  prctersa  vie  et  son  mouve- 
inem.'' 


72  MEMOIRS    OP 

retiring,  and  complimentary  annotations  interspersed. 
What  is  of  more  consequence,  we  have  thus  proved  that 
scientific  lecturing  may  be  made  sufficiently  attractive  to 
excite  general  attention  and  command  personal  attend- 
ance, without  the  exhibition  of  any  pretty  pictures,  or 
even  without  the  aid  of  illustrative  machinery  ;  though  I 
would  by  no  means  disparage  the  introduction  of  either 
on  suitable  occasions." 

Notwithstanding  the  importance  and  multiplicity  of 
Mr.  Good's  occupations,  professional  and  literary,  he 
continued  to  indulge  through  life,  his  early  formed  habit 
of  expressing  his  feelings  in  short  poetical  effusions.  The 
commencement  of  a  new  pursuit,  the  recurrence  of  a 
birth-day,  the  departure  of  a  friend  who  had  been  visiting 
his  family,  a  hasty  visit  of  his  own  to  a  friend  in  the 
country,  the  perusal  of  a  book,  a  striking  political  event, 
everything,  in  short,  which,  while  it  produced  a  new  train 
of  thought,  tended  to  excite  his  feelings,  was  calculated 
to  give  birth  to  a  metrical  essay.  Sometimes  the  effort 
would  be  sprightly,  sometimes  burlesque  and  humorous, 
and,  as  he  advanced  in  life,  usually  pious  and  devotional. 
The  reader  is  here  presented  with  a  very  few  of  these 
little  pieces,  which  I  select,  not  because  of  their  poetical 
excellency,  but  because  they  assist  in  unfolding  the 
entire  character  of  the  author's  mind,  and  evince  the 
facility  with  which  he  could  express  his  sentiments  in 
pleasing  verse.  These  poetical  compositions  which  tend 
principally  to  mark  the  developement  of  his  religious 
character,  are  intentionally  reserved  for  the  third  section 
of  these  Memoirs. 

Written  on  the  back  of  a  Title-page  of  a  collection  of 
Poems  published  by  the  Rev.  Charles  Stuart,  under  the 
title  of  "  Trifles  in  Verse." 

ANOTHER    TRIFLE. 

If,  thinking  wit  or  worth  to  view, 

This  book  throughout  you  rifle ; 
You'll  only  find  the  title  true, 

Which  says  'tis  all  a  Trifle. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  73 

But  though  a  truth,  this  title-page 

'Twere  better,  sure,  to  stifle, 
Than  boast  at  forty  years  of  age, 

I've  only  lived  to  trifle. 


THE    WISH. 

To  Miss  Lindoc,  on  her  Journey  into  Devonshire. 

Amidst  the  Wishes  wished  by  all 

And  trulv  wisli'd,  no  doubt, 
I  too  some  favorite  Wish  would  call, 

T'  attend  thee  through  thy  route. 

But  since,  so  numerous  are  thy  friends, 

So  large  the  love  of  each, 
There's  scarce  a  gift  th'  Almighty  sends, 

Now  left  me  to  beseech, 

I  wish  thee,  Margaret,  from  my  heart, 
Throughout  thine  envied  course, 

Each  richest  Wish  thy  friends  can  start 
Confirm'd  in  all  its  force. 


BIRPBROOK     PARSONAGE,    IN    ESSEX,* 
AUGUST  15-TH,  1805. 

Form'd  by  himself,  this  house,  these  shades, 

May  Walton  long  adorn  ; 
And  gather,  in  their  peaceful  glades, 

The  "  rose  without  a  thorn." 

May  heav'n  his  sacred  toils  approve  ; 

His  flock  their  priest  revere  ; 
And  Judith,  with  perpetual  love, 

Each  blameless  hour  endear. 

GESTINGTHORPE,    ESSEX, 

1886. 

Sweet  shades !  where  peace  and  virtue  dwell, 
And  heav'n  an  altar  finds, 

*  Dr.  Walton,  rector  of  Birdbrook,  was  a  highly  esteemed  relative  of  Dr. 
Good,  Mrs.  Walton  and  Mrs.  Good  being  sisters.  Whenever  Dr.  Good 
could  snatch  a  few  days  of  leisure  from  his  multifarious  engagements,  it 
was  with  great  delight  to  visit  Binlbrook  Parsonage,  and  his  valued  friends 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  of  Gestiugthorpe  Hall,  the  subject  of  the  next  little 
effusion.  The  sentiments  excited  in  these  hasty  visits,  were  often  expressed 
in  a  verse  or  two,  written  currmte  calamo,  and  left  on  his  dressing  table. 

7  • 


74  MEMOIRS    OP 

And  science  scoops  his  hermit  cell, 
And  taste  his  wild  walk  winds  : 

Sweet,  lovely  scenes !  as  Eden  fair, 

As  Eden  free  from  taint ; 
Whose  flowers  perfume  th'  ambrosial  air, 

Th'  enamell'd  landscape  paint  : 

Mansion  !  where  ready  Friendship  turns 

His  hospitable  hinge ; 
Welcomes  the  London  guest, — but  spurns 

The  London  bow  and  cringe  : 

Sick  of  the  world's  fantastic  sway, 
Its  nonsense  and  its  noise, — 

O  !  for  one  solitary  day, 
Be  mine  your  gentler  joys  ; 

Here  let  me  cool  my  maddening  brain, 

Here  purify  my  heart ; 
Though  short  my  stay — in  dreams  again 

1'fl  meet  you  when  we  part. 


TO    MY    DEAR    SUSANNA,    ON    HER    BIRTH-DAY, 

MARCH  SO™,  1808. 

Just  nineteen  years  ago  I  first  survey 'd 

Thy  baby  form,  and  felt  myself  a  sire  ; 
Faintly  thy  mother  own'd  her  pangs  o'erpaid, 

Clasp'd  thy  fresh  limbs,  nor  ask'd  a  transport  higher. 

Though  fill'dwith  present  pleasure,  fancy  wild, 
Oft  as  my  busy  knee  to  hush  tliee  strove, 

Would  still  unlock  the  future  of  my  child, 
And,  from  the  baby  to  the  woman,  rove  : 

And,  warm  with  hope,  would  from  the  rainbow  steal 
Each  precious  tint  to  deck  thy  growing  hours  ; 

A  gentle  form,  beloved  by  all,  reveal 

A  heart  well-tun'd,  a  mind  of  active  powers. 

Fancy  and  Hope  !  delusive,  dangerous  pair ! 

To  sapient  age  delusive,  as  to  youth — 
Accept  my  thanks — for.  flatterers  as  ye  are, 

Through  nineteen  years  ye  then  foretold  me  truth. 


I 

DR.    MASON    GOOD.  75 

LONDON  INSTITUTION.* 

On  its  being  first  opened  in  Kin  IT'S  J  ;•?«.-•  Yard,  Coleman  St.,  under 
a  Committee  chiefly  composed  of  Bankers  and  Bank  Directors. 

When  the  'Change  and  the  Bank  eeiz'd  the  seat  of  Apollo, 

The  world  stood  on  tiptoe  to  see  what  would  follow  ; 

Away  flew  their  cash — and  they  threaten'd  to  store 

Ev'ry  wharf  on  the  Thames  with  a  cargo  of  lore  ; 

While  Cam  and  old  Isis,  thus  robb'd  of  their  right, 

Cried  the  one  to  the  other — Sweet  Cousin,  good  night ! 

For  their  glades  and  their  cloisters  these  traders  in  truth 

Chose  a  deep  recluse  warehouse — the  scene  of  their  youth, 

Where  the  wings  of  the  breezes  that  wafted  them  knowledge, 

Flow'd  one  half  from  Bedlam,  one  half  Gresham  college. 

All  the  books,  and  all  instruments  under  the  sun, 

Prints,  charts,  men  and  maids — were  laid  in  by  the  ton  ; 

Gallante  shows,  telescopes,  pumps,  weavers'  looms, 

Urns,  fish-kettles,  warming-pans,  pots,  mops  and  brooms ; 

All  these,  as  professors  were  soon  to  be  made, 

Were  provided  as  wares  to  illustrate  their  trade  : 

And  at  top  was  design'd,  could  the  cash  but  hold  out, 

A  glass  dome,  where  its  founders  might  look  round  about, 

Learn  how  their  example  had  rous'd  other  earths, 

Mark  weathercocks,  comets,  and  calculate  births  ; 

And  an  order  was  given,  as  no  spy-glass  they  found 

Could  pierce  the  gross  fumes  that  a  city  surround, 

For  a  set  of  experiments  boldly  to  try 

To  drive  off  the  vapors,  and  clear  up  the  sky. 

But  Apollo  who  saw  what  sad  work  they  were  making, 
Descended  from  heav'n  in  a  terrible  taking, 
And  drove  them  all  home  with  a  taste  of  his  whip, 
From  Newton  to  Crocker,  from  Science  to  Scrip. 

MARGARETTA    TO    REBECCA. 

JANUARY  1st,  1817. 

The  year  is  gone  ! — another  year, 

With  all  its  changeful  hours  : 
But  through  each  change,  we  still  are  here, 

And  every  wish  is  ours. 

The  year  is  come  ! — another  year 
As  changeful  as  the  last ; 

*  This  little  satire  was  composed  after  a  conversation,  in  which  the 
author  had  remarked  that  it  was  easy  to  turn  into  burlesque  the  best  de- 
signed projects  ;  as  he  would  prove.  Far  from  being  disposed  to  ridicule 
this  useful  institution,  he  was  for  some  years  an  active  member  of  its  com- 
mittee, and  on  more  than  one  occasion  composed  odes,  &c.  for  recitation 
at  its  anniversaries. 


76  MEMOIRS    OP 

0  !  may  the  hand  still  guide  us  here 
Which  led  us  through  the  past. 

Change  through  all  being  there  must  be  ; 

For  such  is  nature's  law : 
But  nature's  self  must  change,  should  we 

Our  early  love  withdraw. 

ON    THE    DEATH  OF  THE    PRINCESS    CHARLOTTE  OF  WALES. 

NOVEMBER,  1817. 

There  was  a  star  whose  opening  eye 
Mid  vapors  rose  o'er  Britain's  sky : 
Yet  clear'd  the  vapors  as  it  pass'd, 
And  soon  a  peerless  lustre  cast. 

It  was  a  star  whose  influence  shed 
The  balm  of  hope  o'er  every  head : 
The  nation  ey'd  it  from  afar, 
And  bless'd  that  young  and  rising  star. 

Amid  the  train  of  yesternight 

1  saw  that  gem  of  purest  light : 
To-night  I  sought  its  lucid  car — 

I  sought,  but  there  was  no  such  star. 

It  is  not  fallen  : — O  rather  say, 
Onward  it  shoots  its  shining  way : 
It  is  not  fallen — 'tis  only  given 
To  radiate  in  a  brighter  heaven. 


TO    MY    LITTLE    GRANDSON, 

On  hisjirst  noticing  and  being  riveted  by  the  appearance 
of  the  Moon,  llth  December,  1818. 

Infant  sage  !  still  gaze  above  ; 
They  are  realms  of  peace  and  love  : 
Let  the  Moon's  aerial  dance 
All  thy  little  powers  entrance  ; 
And  while  young  wonder  fills  thine  eyes, 
I  will,  too,  philosophize. 

Thou,  like  her,  art  new  to  earth, 
Still  rejoicing  in  thy  birth: 
With  silver  front  and  eye  of  glee, 
Fair,  and  fresh,  and  pure  as  she  ; 
Sent  a  little  space  to  cheer 
With  thy  light  our  humble  sphere. 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  77 

Long,  O  !   long,  sweet  babe,  as  now, 
May  no  gloom  o'ercast  thy  brow  : 
No  star  malignant,  from  above, 
Eclipse  that  purple  light  of  love ; 
Nor  earth's  low  clouds,  or  storms,  defile 
The  lustre  of  that  heavenly  smile. 

And  when  thy  course  beneath  the  sun 
(For  thou  must  wax  and  wane)  is  run, 
Soft  mayst  thou  sink  to  rest,  and  rise 
Still  lovelier  shap'd  in  fairer  skies, 
Where  God's  own  beams  the  noontide  pour, 
And  suns  and  moons  are  known  no  more. 


LINES 

Written  and  left  behind  at  Buzton,  on  passing  through  it, 
September  9th,  1823. 

Where  is  the  Spirit  that  bestows 

This  healing  in  the  spring  .J 
Gives  back  the  faded  cheek  its  rose, 

And  makes  the  cripple  sing  ? 

Where  is  the  Power  that  piles  the  hills, 

Or  splits  their  marble  sides  ? 
With  secret  fires  their  caverns  fills, 

And  leads  their  sparry  tides  ? 

O  ye,  who  in  propitious  hour 

Your  course  have  hither  bent — 
He  is  that  Spirit — his  the  Power 

Your  tottering  steps  that  sent. 

Behold  his  mercy  and  his  might ; 

Pause,  tremble,  and  adore  : 
And  let  his  love  your  praise  excite, 

And  tempt  his  wrath  no  more  ! 

Many  of  those  who  have  watched  the  progress  of  our 
periodical  literature  during  the  present  century,  will  have 
traced  the  history,  and  regretted  the  extinction  of  "  THE 
BRITISH  REVIEW  ;"  which,  from  the  beginning  of  1811, 
to  nearly  the  end  of  1822,  was  published  quarterly,  under 
the  able  superintendence  of  Mr.  Roberts,  the  author  of 
the  "  Looker  On."  To  this  Review  Mr.  Good,  who  had 
long  cherished  habits  of  the  closest  intimacy  with  Mr. 
Roberts,  contributed  several  articles  ;  of  which,  however, 
*7 


78  MEMOIRS    OP 

I  have  not  been  able  to  obtain  a  complete  list.  I  need 
not  hesitate  to  assign  to  him  a  Review  of  the  Physiogno- 
mical System  of  Drs.  Gall  and  Spurzheim,  in  No.  11. 
An  Account  of  Townsend's  Character  of  Moses ;  and 
of  Professor  Adelung's  Mithridates,  or  History  of  Lan- 
guages, in  No.  12.  A  Review  of  Dr.  Marshman's  Chinese 
Grammar  ;  and  another  of  Sismondi  on  Spanish  Litera- 
ture, in  No.  13.  Several  other  articles  were  jointly  con- 
tributed by  these  literary  friends  ;  but  I  am  not  able 
precisely  to  specify  them,  and  feel  no  temptation  to  deal 
in  conjecture. 

In  the  year  1820,  Mr.  Good,  pursuant  to  the  advice 
of  several  medical  friends,  and  the  earnest  entreaty  of 
others,  entered  upon  a  more  elevated  department  of  pro- 
fessional duty,  that  of  a  physician.  His  diploma  of  M.  D., 
which  was  from  Marischal  College,  Aberdeen,  is  dated 
July  10th  in  that  year,  and  is  expressed  in  terms  of  pecu- 
liar honor,  differing  from  the  usual  language  of  that  class 
of  formularies.  He  was  also  elected  an  honorary  member 
of  the  Medical  and  Chirurgical  Society  of  Aberdeen, 
November  2d,  1820.  The  news  of  this  election  was 
communicated  to  him  from  Aberdeen,  by  his  friend  Sir 
James  M'Grigor,  Inspector  General  of  the  Army  Medical 
Board,  who  characterizes  this  Society  "  as  the  principal 
medical  institution  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  including 
among  its  members  the  most  able  professional  men  in 
that  part  of  the  empire  ;  a  society  of  which  he  had  been 
a  member  for  30  years.*" 

Dr.  Good  announced  to  his  friend  Dr.  Drake,  about 
this  time,  that  he  might  be  regarded  as  "  having  begun 
the  world  afresh  ;  but  he  hoped  with  good  omens  and  a 
fair  breeze."  In  February  1821,  after  speaking  of  vari- 

*  Dr.  Good  was  a  member  of  several  other  learned  and  scientific  bodies, 
at  home  and  abroad.  The  dates  of  admission,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able 
to  ascertain  them,  I  shall  specify  in  this  note. 

Member  of  the  College  of  Surgeons  (as  before  mentioned)  Nov.  7th, 
1793  :  Ceased  to  be  such,  October  llth,  1824. 

Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society,  1805  or  1806. 

Linnaean  Society  of  Philadelphia,  April,  1810. 

New  York  Historical  Society,  Oct.  26th,  1813. 

Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  of  New  York,  May  9th,  1816. 

Permissio  Medicorum  Collegii  Rcgalis,  Lond.  Jun.  25",  1822. 

Fellow  of  the  Roval  Society  of  Literature.  April,  1824. 

New  York  Horticultural  Society,  Sept.  7lh,  1824. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  79 

ous  professional  topics,  in  another  letter  to  the  same  gen- 
tleman he  adds,  in  the  frank  confidence  of  friendship — 

"  I  have  now  tried  my  new  fortune  for  nearly  six 
months,  and  only  wish  I  had  felt  it  prudent  to  have  com- 
menced earlier,  for  it  has  succeeded  beyond  my  best  ex- 
pectations. All  my  old  circle  of  patients  are  in  turn 
patients  still,  without  a  single  exception,  so  far  as  I  know  ; 
and  I  have  added  very  considerably  to  the  number,  as 
well  as  have  to  reply  to  a  tolerably  extensive  range  of  ad- 
vice from  the  country ;  so  that  my  hands  are  pretty  full 
still.  I  have  also  the  satisfaction  of  finding  that  my  late 
partner  is  gratified  with  his  prospects.  .  .  .  You  will 
be  surprised  to  learn  that  almost  the  first  patient  I  had, 
on  entering  on  my  new  department,  was  Sir  Gilbert 
JBlane,  who  paid  me  this  compliment,  as  I  feel  it  to  be, 
from  mere  friendship." 

Indeed,  the  new  direction  of  Dr.  Good's  medical  occu- 
pations scarcely  for  a  single  week  produced  any  diminu- 
tion of  his  labor  ;  and  after  a  very  short  interval  his  judg- 
ment was  more  sought,  and  his  professional  engagements 
more  numerous,  than  at  any  preceding  period. 

From  the  period  of  Dr.  Good's  assuming  the  practice 
of  a  physician,  he  did  not  cease*  to  study,  but  gave  to  his 
leading  literary  occupations  an  appropriate  direction. 
Probably  indeed,  looking  forward  to  this,  he  laid  down 
the  general  plan  of  a  system  of  Nosology  so  early  as  the 
year  1808.  The  work,  however,  impeded  as  it  of  neces- 
sity was  by  the  author's  other  pursuits,  and  receiving  oc- 
casional modifications  in  minutiae  as  he  advanced,  was 
not  published  until  the  end  of  the  year  1820,  when  it 
made  its  appearance  in  a  thick  octavo  volume,  under  the 
title  of  "  A  Physiological  System  of  Nosology,  with  a  cor- 
rected and  simplified  Nomenclature." 

No  sooner  was  this  work  issued  from  the  press,  than 
its  indefatigable  author  commenced  a  still  more  extensive, 

*  In  this  respect  his  judgment  and  his  habits  accorded  fully  with  what  has 
been  recently  expressed  by  a  scientific  medical  writer,  (I  believe  Dr.  A.  T. 
Thomson,)  in  "Thoughts  on  Medical  Education,"  addressed  to  the  Council 
of  tl;e  University  of  London.  "  1  am  of  opinion  (says  he)  that  the  moment 
a  practitioner  ceases  to  be  a  student,  he  is  no  longer  worthy  of  the  confidence 
of  the  public;  and  that  the  life  of  a  physician  can  only  be  truly  useful  and 
honorable,  when  it  is  unremiuingly  employed  in  study,  in  determining  the 
truth  of  theoretical  opinions  by  observation,  and  in  proving  the  value  of  prac- 
tical suggestions  by  the  test  of  experience." 


80  MEMOIRS  OP 

elaborate,  and  valuable  performance,  which  was  given  to 
the  world  in  1822,  in  lour  large  volumes  octavo,  entitled 
"  The  Study  of  Medicine."  The  object  of  the  author  in 
this  great  work  was  to  unite  the  different  branches  of 
medical  science,  which  had  usually  been  treated  separate- 
ly, into  a  general  system.  His  success  was  as  remarka- 
ble as  the  attempt  was  bold.  He  received  the  most  lively 
and  gratifying  penegyrics  from  Sir  Henry  Halford,  Sir 
James  M'Grigor,  Sir  John  Webb,  Sir  Gilbert  Blane,  Drs. 
Perceval  (of  Dublin,)  Baillie,  James  Johnson,  Duncan, 
(of  Edinburgh,)  and  others  among  most  eminent  physi- 
cians in  Great  Britain  :  from  Drs.  Hosack  and  Francis,  of 
New  York,  and  several  men  of  considerable  eminence  on 
the  continent  of  Europe.  The  sale  of  the  volumes  was 
very  rapid  ;  a  circumstance  which  stimulated  the  author 
to  prepare  an  enlarged  and  improved  edition,  which  is- 
sued from  the  press  in  1825,  in  five  volumes  octavo.  His 
own  copy  of  this  edition  contains  several  notes  and  im- 
provements, condensed,  however,  into  the  smallest  possi- 
ble space,  with  a  view  to  a  third  edition. 

In  the  spring  of  1826,  Dr.  Good  found  time  to  publish 
the  lectures  which  he  delivered  at  the  Surrey  Institution. 
They  are  contained  in  three  volumes,  entitled  "  The 
Book  of  Nature;"  of  the  contents  of  which,  as  well  as  of 
their  author's  other  publications,  I  shall  present  accounts 
in  a  chronological  succession.  Other  literary  pursuits, 
which  still  more  engaged  his  heart  and  affections,  he  car- 
ried on  simultaneously ;  but  the  results  of  these  he  did 
not  live  to  lay  before  the  world. 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  his  health  had  been 
remarkably  good  ;  the  cheerfulness  of  his  disposition  and 
the  activity  of  his  habits,  having  I  think  contributed  to 
the  preservation  of  a  tone  of  constitution  naturally  robust. 
But,  if  I  do  not  mistake,  (on  a  point  indeed  where  it  may 
be  presumptuous  in  me  to  offer  an  opinion,)  the  change 
of  his  habits,  when  he  ceased  to  visit  his  patients  on  foot, 
was  too  sudden  to  be  otherwise  than  injurious.  At  the 
same  time,  his  incessant  application  to  the  two  great 
works  of  which  I  have  just  been  speaking,  augmented  the 
evil ;  and  his  friends  soon  saw  with  concern,  what  I  am 
persuaded  he  nearly  as  soon  felt,  that  the  corporeal  vig- 
or which  had  carried  him,  almost  unconscious  of  fatigue, 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  81 

through  so  much  labor,  was  now  beginning  to  give  way. 
He  had  for  some  time  learnt,  however,  that  the  correct 
manner  of  estimating  the  duration  of  human  existence 
was,  "not  to  compute  by  the  course  of  the  sun,  but  by 
the  zodiac  and  circle  of  mail's  occupations  and  his  vir- 
tues." By  the  grace  of  God  he  had  rendered  scientific 
and  literary  knowledge  subservient  to  a  knowledge  of  a 
higher  order  ;  he  had  sought  for  intelligence  at  the  Great 
Fountain  of  Intellect,  and  had  found  Him  "  whom  to  know 
is  life  eternal  :"  so  that,  though  he  contemplated  the  dis- 
solution of  nature  and  an  exchange  of  worlds  with  deep 
solemnity,  it  was,  happily,  upon  the  best  of  principles, 
unmingled  with  dread.  He  did  not,  like  one  of  the  most 
celebrated  of  the  ancient  philosophers,  speak  of  death  ag 
of  all  frightful  things  the  most  frightful,*  but  as  that 
which  cures  not  only  infirmity  but  mortality  itself;  firmly 
believing  that,  through  the  strength  of  Him  who  "  giveth 
them  the  victory,"  the  saints  conquer  death  by  suffer- 
ing it. 

A  few  extracts  from  letters  written  to  his  valued  rela- 
tive Dr.  Walton,  and  his  early  friend  Dr.  Drake,  between 
the  year  1821  and  the  time  of  his  death,  will  shew  with 
what  steadiness  and  permanency  he  anticipated  the  ap- 
proach of  that  great  change,  and  with  what  Christian  cor- 
rectness of  sentiment  he  prepared  for  it. 

Thus,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Walton,  bearing  date  April 
loth,  1322,  he  says  —  "  I  have  indeed  been  very  poorly 
for  several  weeks,  and  during  a  part  of  that  time  some- 
what seriously  ill.  Too  much  mental  excitement  in  a 
work  I  have  long  been  engaged  upon,  and  which  I  can- 
not now  finish  till  June,  if  I  should  be  able  even  then, 
though  I  have  labored  to  do  so  with  all  my  might,  has 
thrown  me  off  the  balance  of  firm  health  with  which  I 
have  hitherto  been  so  highly  favored,  and  given  me  a  se- 
vere fit  of  gout,  accompanied  with  a  considerable  degree 
-of  fever.  There  is,  however,  a  better  and  far  more  in- 
structive way  of  viewing  all  such  evils,  and  which  I  am 


*  The  language  of  Aristotle,  nxvrw'riev  q>i@sfwr  &@iii<rr*TS\/,  has 
always  seemed  lo  me  to  furnish  one  of  the  most  affecting  commentaries 
upon  St.  Paul's  description,  Eph.  ii.  1J.  u  //•/•//;  j-  NO  HOPE,  and  without 
God  in  the  icorld,"  th;it  has  ever  been  ponne<l  :  for  what  hope  can  any 
thinking;  man  cherish  through  life,  who  looks  upon  its  close  as  thus  terrible, 
either  in  itself  or  in  its  consequences  ? 


Oii  MEMOIRS    OF 

very  desirous  to  adopt  on  the  present  occasion  ;  and  that 
is,  a  providential  chastisement  for  much  that  has  been 
wrong,  and  a  providential  learning  as  to  the  future.  In 
both  respects  I  hope  I  have  contemplated  it ;  and  though 
not  with  all  the  good  it  ought  to  produce,  yet  I  humbly 
trust  it  has  not  been  sent  altogether  in  vain.  The  great 
error  is,  that  as  we  get  better,  and  the  discipline  becomes 
lighter,  the  impression  is  too  apt  to  wear  off.  I  trust  it 
will  not,  now,  do  so  altogether  ;  but  I  know  and  feel  the 
danger  ;  and  would  infinitely  rather  suffer  again,  than  that 
I  should  lose  the  important  lesson." 

In  the  same  letter,  having  mentioned  Dr.  Drake's  pub- 
lications, "  Winter  Evenings,"  and  "  Evenings  in  Au- 
tumn," he  remarks — "  Two  more  seasons  remain  for 
him. — The  grand  point  is,  to  have  the  life  close  well  at 
last !  But  the  last  may  be  nearer  than  we  expect :  and 
hence  he  only  can  hope,  and  hope  humbly  too,  who  en- 
deavors to  improve  every  season  and  every  hour. 

'  Carpe  diem  quam  minime  credula  postero/ — 

is  a  noble  motto  at  all  times  ;  but  how  truly  ennobled 
when  raised  from  the  dust  of  paganism  into  the  sublimer 
atmosphere  of  revealed  religion." 

Writing  to  Dr.  Drake,  to  thank  him  for  the  same 
books,  May  5th,  1822,  after  speaking  with  much  pleasure 
of  the  moral  and  devotional  spirit  which  pervades  some 
of  the  papers,  he  proceeds — "  These  latter  feelings  and 
subjects  are  as  they  should  be  :  and  I  am  exceedingly  re- 
joiced to  behold  your  views  so  consonant  with  my  own. 
The  great  objects  for  which  we  were  sent  into  the  world, 
and  the  great  duties  we  have  to  perform  here,  are  too  apt 
to  be  forgotten  in  the  hey-day,  and  amidst  the  distrac- 
tions, of  youth;  though  there  is  no  period  in  which  the 
'  heart'  requires  to  be  '  kept  with  so  much  diligence  :'  but 
happy  is  he  who  is  led  to  take  a  correct  view  of  himself 
in  time,  and  who  grows  sober  in  the  sober  '  Evenings  of 
Autumn,'  rightly  estimating  the  world,  duly  prizing  the 
means  of  grace  which  the  bible  unfolds  to  him,  and  prepar- 
ing himself  for  another  and  a  better  state  of  being.  I  lament 
greatly  the  spirit  of  atheism  which  is  abroad,  and  espe- 
cially among  the  professors  and  practitioners  of  medi- 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  83 

cine ;  and  I  am  glad  to  see  you  taking  a  stand  against 
the  unholy  tribe  of  scoffers." 

In  another  letter  to  the  same,  dated  August  21st,  1822, 
after  speaking  of  "gout,  and  dyspepsy,  and  head-ache, 
and  feverish  nights,"  which  he  imputes  to  the  labor  and 
confinement  occasioned  by  his  "  Study  of  Medicine,"  he 
says — "  On  Friday  I  purpose  to  set  off  for  Matlock,  with 
my  dear  wife  and  daughter,  for  about  ten  days,  for  the 
purpose  of  recreation.  You,  I  apprehend,  are  still  as 
busy  as  ever,  and  will  no  doubt  travel  farther  in  your  easy 
chair,  and  probably  over  still  more  picturesque  and  ro- 
mantic landscapes,  than  we  shall  do  in  our  chariot.  May 
you  never  travel  over  any  but  may  administer  to  you  solid 
delight  and  satisfaction, — tranquillizing  or  elevating  the 
animal  spirits,  and  reading  a  useful  lesson  to  the  mind  ! 
In  one  sense,  and  that  the  most  important,  we  are  all 
travellers  and  pilgrims,  journeying  to  an  unknown  coun- 
try, and  at  a  rate  we  cannot  check,  though  we  may  pre- 
cipitate it.  May  we,  my  dear  friend,  be  enabled  to  finish 
our  course  with  joy,  and  to  enter  into  the  rest  that  re- 
maineth,  and  '  rcnutineth'  ALONE  '  for  the  people  of  God." ' 

January  31st,  1823  :  on  recovering  from  a  "  very  severe 
attack  of  gout  in  both  hands  and  feet,"  he  writes  to  Dr. 
Walton  thus  : — "  By  the  goodness  of  God  I  am  now  much 
better,  and  I  hope,  by  care,  and  a  greater  degree  of  atten- 
tion to  myself  than  1  have  hitherto  given,  to  attain  short- 
ly to  a  firmer  degree  of  health  than  I  have  enjoyed  for 
many  months.  The  important  point  is,  to  regard  all  these 
reverses  as  corrective  visitations,  which  most  of  us  (and  I 
am  sure  I  can  speak  for  myself)  stand  repeatedly  in  need 
of,  to  wean  us  from  this  world,  and  quicken  us  in  our 
preparation  for  another  :  to  empty  us  of  ourselves,  and  to 
fill  us,  by  the  gracious  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with 
an  humble  trust  in  the  merits  of  Him  who  is  the  sacrifice 
and  propitiation  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  :  and 
should  it  accomplish  this — then  indeed  will  the  cloud  we 
are  made  to  pass  through  descend  upon  us  in  a  fruitful  and 
refreshing  rain,  and  amply  answer  its  purpose." 

Again,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Drake,  December  llth,  1824, 
after  expressing  his  gratification  that  the  Doctor  should 
have  thought  so  highly  of  his  recent  work,  and  exerted 
himself  to  make  its  value  known  to  others,  he  adds — "  But 


84  MEMOIRS    OP 

I  know  the  danger  of  even  honorable  reputation,  and  I 
fear  the  Circean  cup.  The  richest  pearl  in  the  Chris- 
tian's crown  of  graces  is  humility  ;  and  when  I  look  back 
upon  myself,  and  examine  my  own  heart,  and  see  how 
little  progress  I  have  made  in  that  which  it  most  imports 
us  to  study,  I  am  sure  there  is  no  man  breathing  who  has 
more  cause,  not  only  for  humility,  but  for  abasement, 
than  myself:  for  how  often  have  I  neglected  the  cistern 
for  the  stream,  and  have  been  pursuing  a  bubble,  instead 
of  giving  up  all  my  feeble  powers  and  possessions  in  pur- 
chase of  '  the  pearl  of  great  price.'  What  a  mercy  not 
to  have  been  allowed  to  persevere  in  that  neglect !" 

On  Sept.  19th,  1825,  he  writes  thus  to  Dr.  Walton  : — 

"  I  have  reason  to  be  greatly  thankful  that  I  am  much 
better;  and  if  the  complaint  should  not  shift  into  any 
other  quarter  (and  I  trust  it  will  not  do  so)  I  may  hope 
to  be  well  in  a  day  or  two:  and  if  so — (still  an  if!) — 
and  who  would  wish  it  to  be  otherwise ; — who,  that 
knows  anything  of  things  as  they  are — would  wish  to  be 
the  arbiter  of  his  own  life  ?" 

In  August,  1826,  his  health  having  been  greatly 
shaken,  and  that  of  Mrs.  Good  being  very  indifferent,  it 
was  thought  expedient  that  they  should  go  to  Leaming- 
ton. On  this  occasion  he  again  addresses  his  esteemed 
relative  at  Birdbrook.  "  August  25th,  1826. — The  die 
is  cast,  and  we  are  going  to  Leamington.  May  a  gra- 
cious Providence  render  its  breezes  balmy  and  its  waters 
healthful !  And,  above  all,  direct  me  how  best  to  devote 
whatever  time  may  be  yet  allotted  me,  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  good  of  myself  and  others.  I  have  trifled 
with  time  too  much  already  ;  it  is  high  time  to  awake  and 
be  sober,  and  to  prepare  to  leave  it  for  eternity  !  Every 
moment  ought  to  be  precious." 

On  his  return  from  Leamington  he  wrote  to  me  in  a 
similar  strain,  earnestly  intreating  an  early  meeting  of  our 
respective  families,  reminding  me  of  the  lapse  of  time 
with  regard  to  both  of  us,  and  pathetically  expressing  his 
own  persuasion  that  our  remaining  interviews  would  be 
few.  In  October  we  met ;  but  it  was  in  a  large  party,  on 
a  public  occasion.  We  contrived,  however,  to  sit  togeth- 
er; and  his  conversation  was,  as  usual,  vivacious  and  full 
of  information.  When  we  parted,  there  was  in  his  man- 


DR.  MASON   GOOD.  85 

ner  an  unusual  mixture  of  cheerfulness  and  solemnity. 
He  again  urged  me  to  see  him  again  soon;  but  we  sepa- 
rated to  meet  no  more  on  earth. 

During  the  last  three  months  of  his  life,  his  strength 
declined  rapidly,  exciting  much  solicitude  in  the  minds 
of  Mrs.  Good  and  his  family,  but  no  alarm  of  immediate 
danger.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Christmas  holidays,  Dr. 
Good,  by  whose  short  but  affectionate  visits  to  his  beloved 
daughter  Mrs.  Neale,*  and  her  children,  he  received  and 
imparted  delight,  expressed  a  more  than  usual  anxiety  to 
go  thither  again  ;  although  he  was  so  much  indisposed 
before  he  commenced  his  journey,  as  to  occasion  serious 
apprehensions  of  his  inability  to  go  through  it.  He 
reached  his  daughter's  house  in  a  state  of  great  exhaus- 
tion ;  but,  after  a  short  time,  rallied  sufficiently  to  distri- 
bute amongst  his  grandchildren,  who,  as  usual,  gathered 
around  him,  the  books  and  other  appropriate  presents, 
which  his  affection,  watchful  and  active  to  the  end,  had 
assigned  to  each.  He  then  retired  to  his  chamber,  not 
for  repose  and  recovery,  but  to  experience  the  solemnities 
of  the  last  awful  scene,  and  the  transition  from  his  grow- 
ing infirmities  to  the  regions  where  there  is  "  no  more 
pain,"  the  world  of  pure  and  happy  spirits.  The  touch- 
ing but  instructive  circumstances  attending  the  death-bed 
of  my  friend,  consistently  with  the  arrangement  which  I 
prescribed  to  myself,  I  shall  connect  with  the  develope- 
ment  of  his  religious  character  in  the  third  section  of 
these  memoirs.  Let  it  suffice  to  say,  now,  that  his  last 
illness,  an  inflammation  of  the  bladder,  was  short,  but  ex- 
ceedingly severe,  and  that  it  terminated  his  valuable  life, 
on  Tuesday,  the  2d  of  January,  1^~7,  in  the  63d  year 
of  his  age. 

Only  three  days  previously  to  his  death,  a  young  lady 
who  was  alarmingly  ill,  but  then  capable  of  being  moved 
from  one  place  to  another,  was  desirous  to  have  the  bene- 
fit of  his  medical  advice.  Dr.  Good's  mind  had  evinced 
some  aberrations  on  account  of  the  fever  and  the  intense 
pain  which  he  suffered  :  but  at  the  time  this  request  was 
made  known  to  him,  he  experienced  less  pain,  and  was 

•Residing  at  the  village  of  Sheppertou  in  Middlesex,  about  18  miles  from 
London. 


86  MEMOIRS  OP 

tolerably  composed.  He  therefore  agreed  to  see  her, 
with  Mr.  Cooper,  one  of  his  own  medical  attendants. 
The  young  lady  was  accordingly  conducted  to  his  bed- 
side, and  after  he  had  made  the  usual  inquiries,  with  his 
wonted  acumen,  consideration,  and  kindness,  he  confer- 
red with  Mr.  C.  on  her  case.  He  proposed  a  complete,  and 
as  the  event  proved,  for  a  season,  a  very  beneficial  change 
in  the  treatment :  he  wrote  a  prescription,  which  bears 
the  usual  character  of  his  hand-writing,  and  I  am  assur- 
ed is  marked  by  the  peculiar  elegance  which  always  dis- 
tinguished his  pharmaceutic  formulae. 

Those  habits  of  order,  the  formation  of  which  consti- 
tuted a  part  of  his  education,  and  the  consolidation  of 
which  was  so  greatly  aided  by  the  circumstances  of  his 
apprenticeship,  were  evinced  through  life.  The  arrange- 
ments of  his  wardrobe,  his  books,  his  accounts,  his  papers, 
his  manuscripts,  his  time,  all  bore  the  stamp  of  this  pecu- 
liarity. Giving,  as  he  did,  from  principle,  to  his  medical 
engagements  his  first  thoughts  and  chief  care  in  the  ar- 
rangements of  each  day,  and  finding,  from  the  very  nature 
of  the  profession,  that  it  presented  hourly  interruptions 
to  his  best  formed  schemes;  still  he  had  the  power  of 
smoothing  down  the  irregularities  thus  incessantly  occur- 
ring, and  of  carrying  on  his  various  pursuits  with  the 
order  to  which  I  have  more  than  once  adverted.  After 
his  decease,  the  effects  of  this  love  of  method  and  orderly 
arrangement  were  more  than  ever  evinced.  For  though 
his  professional  and  other  occupations  continued  to  em- 
ploy him  daily  until  the  very  eve  of  his  journey  to  Shep- 
perton  ;  yet,  when  his  papers  came  to  be  examined,  they 
were  found  with  labels  and  endorsements,  describing  the 
nature  of  each  packet, — which  was  of  little,  which  of 
much,  which  of  immediate,  which  of  remote  consequence, 
which  related  to  his  profession,  which  to  his  banker,  which 
to  the  concerns  of  his  daughter  Mrs.  Neale,  which  to  any 
of  his  friends,  which  to  proposed  new  editions  of  some  of 
his  works,  which  to  a  work  just  ready  for  the  press — as 
completely  assorted,  described,  arid  specified,  as  if  for  the 
last  six  months  of  his  existence  he  had  neglected  every- 
thing else,  and  acted  with  unremitting  reference  to  the 
injunction — "  Set  thy  house  in  order,  for  thou  shalt  die, 
and  not  live." 


DR.  MASON    GOOD. 


87 


The  happy  effects  of  his  love  of  order,  and  delight  in 
occupation,  and  of  his  cheerful  flow  of  spirits,  were  indeed 
uniformly  and  almost  constantly  manifest,  and  especially 
in  his  deportment  in  domestic  life.  Many  men  of  great 
research  cannot  experience  interruption  of  any  kind  with- 
out obvious  discomposure  and  irritation  ;  but  this  was 
never  the  case  with  Dr.  Good.  For  though  occupation 
was  his  element,  and  he  was  always  remarkable  for  the 
diligent  employment  of  every  minute  which  he  could 
devote  to  literature  or  to  the  study  and  practice  of  medi- 
cine ;  yet  from  these  he  always  passed  to  social  enjoy- 
ments, whether  with  his  friends  or  the  members  of  his 
family,  with  the  utmost  facility,  and  a  corresponding 
relish.  With  this  ability  to  free  himself  from  incessant 
absorption  of  thought,  his  society  was  usually  productive 
of  pleasure  to  those  who  enjoyed  his  acquaintance  ;  but 
most  of  all  to  Mrs.  Good  and  his  daughters,  with  whom 
he  delighted  to  engage  in  instructive  cheerful  conversa- 
tion, and  to  whom  he  would  often  (much  more  often, 
indeed,  than  they  who  knew  the  variety  and  the  pressure 
of  his  engagements  would  think  possible)  read  any  new 
and  interesting  work  which  they  were  anxious  to  know, 
expatiating  upon  its  beauties  or  defects  as  he  proceeded. 

But,  without  trusting  myself  to  enter  into  minutiae, 
I  shall  assist  the  reader  in  forming  his  estimate  of  the 
private  character  of  my  deceased  friend,  by  inserting  a 
few  passages  from  a  letter  which  I  have  received  from 
his  eldest  daughter,  Mrs.  Neale. 

"  You  will  doubtless  have  learnt  much  from  my  mother 
and  sister,  of  my  dear  father's  affectionate  deportment  in 
his  family,  and  especially  of  his  parental  kindness ;  yet  I 
cannot  avoid  mentioning  one  way  in  which,  during  my 
childhood,  this  was  frequently  manifested  towards  myself. 
My  dear  father,  after  a  hurried  meal  at  dinner,  occupying 
but  a  very  few  minutes,  would  often  spend  a  considerable 
portion  of  what  should  have  been  his  resting  time,  in 
teaching  me  to  play  at  battledoor,  or  some  active  game, 
thinking  the  exercise  conducive  to  my  health. 

"  I  never  saw  in  any  individual  so  rare  a  union  as  he 
possessed,  of  thorough  enjoyment  of  what  are  usually 
termed  the  good  things  of  this  life,  with  the  most  perfect 
indifference  respecting  them,  when  they  were  not  within 


MEMOIRS  OF 

his  reach.  In  the  articles  of  food  and  drink,  he  always 
took,  with  relish  and  cheerfulness,  such  delicacies  as  the 
kindness  of  a  friend,  or  accident,  might  throw  in  his  way; 
but  he  was  quite  as  well  satisfied  with  the  plainest  provi- 
sions that  could  be  set  before  him;  often,  indeed,  seeming 
unconscious  of  the  difference.  His  love  of  society  made 
him  most  to  enjoy  his  meals  with  his  family,  or  among 
friends  ;  yet  as  his  employments  of  necessity  produced 
uncertainty  in  the  time  of  his  return  home,  his  constant 
request  was  to  have  something  set  apart  for  him,  but  on 
no  account  to  wait  for  his  arrival. 

"  I  perhaps  am  best  qualified  to  speak  of  his  extreme 
kindness  to  all  his  grandchildren.  One  example  will 
serve  to  shew  that  it  was  self-denying  and  active.  My 
fourth  little  one,  when  an  infant  of  two  months  old,  was 
dangerously  ill  with  the  hooping  cough.  My  father  was 
informed  of  this.  It  was  in  the  beginning  of  a  cold  win- 
ter, and  we  were  living  sixty  miles  from  town,  in  a  retired 
village  in  Essex.  Immediately  on  receiving  the  news  of 
our  affliction,  my  father  quitted  home;  and  what  was  our 
surprise,  at  eleven  o'clock  on  a  very  dark  night,  to  hear 
a  chaise  drive  fast  up  to  the  door,  and  to  see  our  affec- 
tionate parent  step  out  of  it.  He  had  been  detained,  and 
narrowly  escaped  an  overthrow,  by  the  driver  having 
mistaken  his  way,  and  attempting  to  drive  through  rough 
ploughed  fields.  We  greatly  feared  that  he  would  suffer 
severely  from  an  attack  of  the  gout,  to  which  he  had 
then  become  seriously  subject,  and  which  was  generally 
brought  on  by  exposure  to  cold  and  damp,  such  as  he 
had  experienced ;  and  we  urged  in  consequence,  the  due 
precautions  ;  but  his  first  care  was  to  go  at  once  to  the 
nursery,  ascertain  the  real  state  of  the  disease,  and  pre- 
scribe for  the  infant. 

"Strangers  have  often  remarked  to  me,  that  they  were 
struck  with  the  affectionate  kindness  with  which  he  en- 
couraged all  my  dear  children  to  ask  him  questions  upon 
any  subject,  and  the  delight  which  he  exhibited  when 
they  manifested  a  desire  to  gain  knowledge.  Indeed  I 
do  not  once  remember  to  have  heard  them  silenced  in 
their  questions,  however  apparently  unseasonable  the 
time,  in  a  hasty  manner,  or  without  some  kind  notice  in 
answer.  He  never  seemed  annoyed  by  any  interruption 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  89 

which  they  occasioned,  whether  during  his  studies,  or 
while  he  was  engaged  in  that  conversation  which  he  so 
much  enjoyed.  Whenever  he  silenced  their  questions  by 
the  promise  of  a  future  answer,  he  regarded  his  promise 
as  inviolable,  and  uniformly  satisfied  their  inquiries  on 
the  first  moment  of  leisure,  without  waiting  to  be  remind- 
ed by  themselves  or  others,  of  the  expectations  which  he 
had  thus  excited.  These  are  simple  domestic  facts  ;  not 
perhaps  suited  to  every  taste  ;  but  as  they  serve  to  illus- 
trate character,  I  transmit  them,  to  be  employed  or  not, 
as  you  may  think  best." 

Having  presented  these  outline  sketches  from  the  hand 
of  a  daughter,  I  cannot  better  terminate  this  portion  of 
my  labor  than  by  introducing  another  from  the  hand  of  a 
friend.* 

"  I  had  long  the  happiness  and  honor  of  being  ranked 
among  Dr.  Good's  intimate  friends ;  but  our  intercourse 
was  distinguished  by  no  occurrences  of  importance  enough 
to  be  recorded.  During  our  intimacy  he  was  always 
busily  engaged  in  some  intellectual  or  active  employ- 
ments for  the  benefit  of  humanity,  without  neglecting  any 
of  the  hourly  calls  upon  his  friendship,  his  feeling,  and 
his  courtesy.  ]  hardly  believe  there  has  existed  the  per- 
son who,  in  the  midst  of  studies  so  severe,  has  maintained 
so  kind  a  temper,  and  so  constant  a  good  nature.  I  have 
visited  him  when  laboriously  occupied  in  mind,  and  when 
suffering  in  body;  I  have  been  with  him  at  moments 
when  his  temper  has  been  exercised  by  ill  treatment ;  but 
I  have  never  witnessed  in  him  any  other  frame  of  mind 
than  that  of  benevolent  cheerfulness  and  Christian  com- 
posure. I  shall  carry  the  remembrance  of  him  to  my 
grave,  as  of  one  in  whose  society  some  of  my  happiest 
hours  have  passed,  and  whose  example  and  conversation 
have  afforded  me  many  lessons  of  wisdom  and  virtue." 

•  Mr.  Roberts,  Editor  of  the  British  Review,  &c. 

•8 


90  ACCOUNT    OF   THE    WORKS    OF 


SECTION  II. 


REVIEW  OP  THE  PRINCIPAL  PUBLICATIONS  OP  DR.  GOOD, 
WITH  ILLUSTRATIVE  QUOTATIONS  j  ALSO  AN  ACCOUNT 
OF  TWO  IMPORTANT  WORKS  WHICH  HE  HAD  PREPARED 
FOR  THE  PRESS. 

THE  circumstances  and  incidents  which  make  a  man 
an  author,  are  often  widely  different  from  those  which 
make  him  a  successful  author.  Necessity,  vanity,  love 
of  money,  love  of  fame,  and  various  other  operative  prin- 
ciples, may  induce  an  individual  to  solicit  the  public 
attention  to  his  literary  labors ;  but  unless  he  possess  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree  the  power  to  instruct  or  to  amuse, 
it  is  only  by  an  extraordinary  coincidence  of  counter 
probabilities  that  he  can  obtain  even  a  moderate  degree 
of  the  attention  which  he  solicits.  Talent,  knowledge, 
perseverance,  and  skill,  must  be  sedulously  and  success- 
fully combined,  in  order  to  the  attainment  and  the  pre- 
servation of  literary  or  scientific  distinction. 

"  Qui  cupit  optatem  cursu  contingere  metam, 
Multa  tulit  fecitque  puer."  Hor. 

It  has  frequently  been  remarked,  since  the  time  of 
Lord  Bacon,*  that  to  read,  write,  and  converse,  in  due 
proportion,  constitutes  the  great  art  of  success  in  a  man 
of  letters.  The  learning  of  a  recluse  too  often  fails  him, 
because,  for  want  of  converse  with  men,  he  knows  not 
how  to  allow  for  the  difficulties  of  ignorance.  Thus, 
Boerhaave  remarked  that  most  of  the  writers  on  chemistry 
before  his  time,  were  unintelligible  to  the  bulk  of  stu- 
dents, because  they  presupposed  their  readers  to  possess 
degrees  of  knowledge  which  they  had  not  acquired.  It 
often  happens,  too,  with  such,  that  having  thought  too 
much  in  one  train,  they  are  like  persons  acquainted  with 
only  one  road,  who  soon  become  bewildered  when  taken 

*  "  Reading  makes  a  full  man,  conversation  a  ready  man,  and  writing 
an  exact  man."  Bacon's  Essays. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  91 

into  a  new  path.  On  the  other  hand,  he  whose  delight 
is  chiefly  in  society,  and  whose  great  aim  is  to  cultivate 
the  arts  of  conversation  or  of  debate,  soon  acquires  a 
distaste  for  the  employments  of  the  study,  and  probably 
seeking  rather  to  shine  than  to  convince  or  to  instruct, 
he  becomes  loose  as  a  reasoner,  or  satisfies  himself  with 
that  which  may  perhaps  have  silenced  others.  Thus  the 
Copiousness  and  facility  resulting  from  mere  conversation, 
or  from  oral  dispute,  may  too  naturally  be  often  found  at 
the  utmost  distance  from  accuracy  and  truth. 

An  accomplished  author,  then,  will  be  anxious,  not 
only  to  possess  correct  sentiments  on  the  subjects  which 
he  proposes  to  treat,  but  the  power  of  expressing  them 
with  efficiency  at  least,  if  not  with  elegance  ;  that  he  may 
most  agreeably  impart  and  widely  diffuse  the  knowledge 
which  he  has  acquired.  In  order  to  this,  while  he  will 
have  sought  to  profit  by  frequent  intercourse  with  men  of 
varied  talents  and  degrees  of  information,  he  will  not 
have  failed  to  attend  to  the  art  of  composition  :  and  if, 
as  was  the  case  with  our  author  at  the  commencement  of 
his  course,  he  shall  have  written  many  pages  and  many 
essays  apparently  in  vain,  he  will  have  the  satisfaction  to 
know,  in  after  life,  that  while  others  have  entirely  failed, 
in  consequence  of  being  either  "  full  without  readiness, 
or  ready  without  exactness,"  his  own  productions  have 
been  appreciated  by  the  public  at  their  due  value,  and 
have  served  to  improve  the  taste,  extend  the  knowledge, 
or  confirm  the  nobler  principles,  of  those  who  have  atten- 
tively perused  them. 

Dr.  Good's  earlier  productions  which  met  the  public 
eye,  except  some  pieces  of  lighter  poetry  noticed  in  the 
former  part  of  this  work,  were  political.  Of  these  I 
have  not  been  able  to  obtain  copies  :  but  I  understand 
that  they  were  written  to  serve  a  temporary  purpose,  and 
would  excite  little,  if  any  interest  among  readers  of  the 
present  day. 

DISEASES    OP   PRISONS,  &>C. 

In  the  year  1795,  he  published  two  medical  essays, 
which  were  exceedingly  well  received  by  the  profession, 
and  served,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  to  make  him 
known  as  a  man  of  talent  and  research. 


92  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

The  first  of  these,  "A  Dissertation  on  the  Diseases  of 
Prison*  and  Poor  Houses,"  was  published  at  the  request 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  London,  having  obtained  their 
prize.  It  is  printed  in  duodecimo,  and  divided  into  three 
sections,  which  contain,  1st.  Preliminary  Observations, 
and  a  short  sketch  of  the  history  of  prisons  and  poor 
houses,  and  of  the  chief  defects  in  their  structure,  econo- 
my, and  discipline.  2dly,  A  history  of  the  diseases  most 
frequently  observed  to  occur  in  such  places,  with  their 
remedies  and  general  mode  of  treatment.  3dly,  An  ac- 
count of  the  best  plans  to  be  adopted  for  presenting  the 
recurrence  of  such  diseases  in  future.  Many  of  the  de- 
tails in  this  little  volume  are  very  instructive,  and  well 
deserved  the  attention  both  of  magistrates,  and  of  the 
medical  visitors  of  gaols  and  workhouses,  at  that  time. 
But  the  benevolent  exertions  of  the  great  Howard,  and  of 
others  who  have  happily  caught  something  of  the  same 
spirit,  have  led  to  such  considerable  improv  ements  during 
the  last  thirty  years,  (to  which,  indeed,  the  hints  of  our 
author  not  a  little  contributed,)  that  there  is  now  no 
necessity  to  dwell  upon  the  facts  which  he  enumerates. 

The  following  quotation,  however,  will  be  read  with 
interest  by  all  who  look  beyond  the  mere  point  of  health, 
important  as  it  is,  and  especially  by  those  whose  admira- 
tion has  been  excited  by  the  pious  exertions  of  Mrs.  Fry, 
and  other  benevolent  ladies,  the  advantages  of  which  are 
here  not  incorrectly  depicted  by  a  long  anticipation. 

"  I  cannot,  in  this  place,  avoid  mentioning,  though  it 
is  not  altogether  connected  with  a  medical  treatise,  the 
propriety  there  is  in  the  appointment  of  an  officiating 
clergyman,  in  all  prisons  at  least.  To  a  mind  simply 
humane,  there  is  something  extremely  indecorous  in  per- 
mitting a  criminal  to  live  and  die  without  either  religious 
reproof  or  consolation.  But  there  is  something  more  than 
indecorous  in  the  case  of  penitentiary  houses,  there  is 
something  radically  wrong  and  impolitic.  If  the  criminal 
be  sentenced  to  a  confinement  here  for  four  or  five  years, 
and  that  with  daily  and  regular  returns  of  labor,  and  if 
these  returns  of  labor  be  supposed  insufficient  to  reclaim 
him,  and  introduce  into  his  future  life  a  habit  of  industry 
and  honest  exertion,  how  much  more  probable  is  it  that 
he  will  be  reclaimed,  when  the  additional  and  more  ener- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  93 

getic  power  of  principle  is  added  to  that  of  habit?  when, 
for  the  same  period  of  time,  the  effect  of  religion  has  been 
regularly  and  duly  tried,  and  super  added  to  the  effect  of 
regular  and  constant  employment  ? 

"Above  all,  more  especially  in  the  cases  of  poor-houses 
and  charity-schools,  I  could  wish  the  ladies  in  the  coun- 
try would  more  warmly  and  frequently  interest  themselves. 
The  claim  of  benevolence,  and  every  soft  affection  of  the 
heart,  is  peculiarly  their  own  :  and  wherever  they  have 
thus  acted,  considerable  benefit  has,  in  every  instance, 
accrued.  It  has  done  so  at  Frankfort ;  it  has  done  so  at 
Dunbar  ;  and,  above  all,  at  the  village  of  Cardington,  in 
Bedfordshire,  to  which  I  have  already  adverted  with  much 
satisfaction  :  and,  in  fine,  it  has  done  so,  and  will  do  so, 
wherever  their  friendly  interposition  is  exercised  ;  the  in- 
stitution will  flourish,  the  concerns  of  morality  and  reli- 
gion will  prevail,  the  grand  object  of  this  dissertation  will 
be  attained,  and  the  poor  will  be  cheerful  and  happy." 

An  appendix  to  this  volume  contains  a  "  Case  of  Pre- 
ternatural Foetation,  with  some  observations  on  the  phae- 
nomena."  This  case  occurred  at  Sudbury ;  but  the 
technical  description  of  it  I  omit,  as  it  would  be  princi- 
pally interesting  to  medical  men ;  for  whom  the  author 
himself  has  given  an  abridged  account  in  his  "Study  of 
Medicine,"  vol.  v.  p.  31.  2d  edition. 

HISTORV    OF    MEDICINE. 

I  have  already  (p.  53,  &/c.)  detailed  the  principal  cir- 
cumstances which  occasioned  the  formation  of  the  "  Phar- 
maccutic  Association,"  and  of  Dr.  Good's  "  History  of 
Medicine,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  the  profession  of  the 
apothecary."  This  work  is  in  duodecimo,  and  is  com- 
prised in  255  pages.  It  is  divided  into  four  sections. 

In  Section  I.  the  author  treats  of  the  state  of  medicine, 
in  reference  to  the  apothecary,  among  the  Greeks,  Ro- 
mans, Arabians,  the  earlier  ages  of  France,  Italy,  and 
Germany.  The  immediate  occupation  of  the  apothecary 
in  those  several  countries  at  the  respective  periods  spoken 
of,  and  the  rank  which  he  obtained  among  the  different 
branches  of  the  medical  profession.  The  existence  of 
any  such  occupation  as  that  of  the  modern  druggist,  is 
investigated  and  denied,  and  the  quarter  is  traced  from 


94  ACCOUNT    OP    THE    WORKS    OP 

whence  the  apothecary  was  supplied  with  the  drugs  of 
which  he  stood  in  need. 

Section  II.  is  devoted  to  the  origin  of  medicine,  and 
especially  of  the  profession  of  the  apothecary  in  Great 
Britain.  The  different  charters  and  acts  of  parliament 
which  have  successively  been  obtained  relative  to  medi- 
cine, are  traced  ;  and  the  knavery  and  ignorance  exposed, 
of  multitudes  of  medical  practitioners,  from  the  universal 
incompetency  of  those  public  edicts,  &c.  to  prevent 
abuses.  The  origin  of  the  occupation  of  the  druggist  is 
investigated,  as  well  as  the  source  from  whence  apotheca- 
ries previously  derived  their  drugs. 

In  Section  III.  the  author  explains  the  necessity  of  the 
profession  of  the  apothecary  to  the  nation  at  large,  and 
the  evils  to  which  the  profession  and  the  public  were  then 
exposed.  The  origin  of  the  General  Pharmaceutic  As- 
sociation is  traced,  and  an  entertaining  account  is  given 
of  its  correspondence  with  medical  men  in  all  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  and  of  several  of  the  monstrous  evils  thus 
brought  to  light. 

Section  IV.  contains  observations  on  the  principles  of 
action  adopted  by  the  Pharmaceutic  Association,  and  a 
vindication  of  them,  as  consistent  with  general  justice  and 
policy,  and  essentially  calculated  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  the  nation  generally,  by  preventing  the  profession  of 
medicine  from  sinking  into  contempt,  and  giving  to  that 
department  of  it  which  depends  upon  the  genuineness  and 
purity  of  its  drugs,  greater  efficacy  and  certainty. 

The  work,  though  comparatively  small,  exhibits  strong 
evidences  of  the  author's  activity  and  powers  of  research. 
Though  it  was  obviously  drawn  together  in  haste,  to  meet 
the  exigencies  of  a  particular  occasion,  it  contains  many 
proofs  of  extensive  reading,  even  in  that  early  period  of 
Dr.  Good's  progress.  Much  of  the  information  comprised 
within  its  pages  was  then  known  but  to  few  even  of  the 
most  active  of  medical  men  ;  but  the  substance  of  it  has 
since  been  frequently  introduced  into  our  Cyclopaedias, 
and  other  repositories  of  general  knowledge,  and  now 
constitutes  a  part  of  that  rich  stock  of  theoretical  and 
practical  truth,  which  is  possessed  by  the  very  numerous 
liberally  educated  men,  who,  in  this  age  of  intellectual 
impulse,  adorn  the  medical  profession. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  95 


TRANSLATION  OF  THE  SONG  OP  SONGS. 

Solomon's  "  Song  of  Songs,"  of  Dr.  Good's  translation 
of  which  I  must  now  speak,  has,  from  the  earliest  ages  of 
its  existence  been  regarded  as  genuine  and  authentic  ; 
yet  it  would  be  wrong  to  deny  that  great  differences  of 
opinion  have  existed  amongst  the  wisest  and  best  exposi- 
tors of  Scripture,  as  to  its  inspiration.  It  was  a  part  of 
those  Scriptures  which  the  Saviour  and  the  Apostles  often 
refer  to  as  the  word  of  God.  The  authority  of  this  book 
was  expressly  allowed  by  Melito,  in  the  second  century  ; 
and  several  of  the  Christian  fathers,  as  Origen,  Gregory 
of  Nyssa,  Cyprian,  Augustine,  and  Jerome,  wrote  com- 
mentaries upon  it,  or  upon  select  portions  of  it.  The 
father  of  English  literature,  Venerable  Bede,  wrote  six 
books  upon  this  Song :  and  in  later  ages,  Alsted,  Mercer, 
Bossuet,  and  Gill,  have  done  much  to  elucidate  its  nature 
and  object.  There  have  been  published  several  transla- 
tions into  the  English  language,  of  which  the  best  known 
are  those  of  Dr.  Percy,  in  1764 ;  of  Miss  Francis,  in 
1781  ;  of  Mr.  Green,  in  the  same  year;  of  Mr.  Hodgson, 
in  1785;  of  Doderlein,  in  1795;  and  of  Williams,  in 
1801.  It  would  not  seem  that  Dr.  Good  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  examining  all  these  :  to  those  of  Green,  Percy,  and 
Hodgson,  he  acknowledges  himself  indebted  ;  as  well  as 
to  the  Spanish  version  of  Luis  de  Leon,  and  the  Italian 
of  Melesigenio.  He  frequently  also  expresses  his  obliga- 
tions to  Lowth,  whose  sentiments,  in  reference  to  the 
character  of  the  book,  he  adopts  ;  and  whose  circumspec- 
tion, with  regard  to  minutiae  of  interpretation,  he  seems 
closely  to  have  followed.* 

The  opinions  of  learned  men    have   differed  greatly 

*  "  Concerning  the  explanation  of  this  allegory,  (says  the  bishop,  Lett. 
xxxi.)  I  will  only  add,  that  in  the  first  place  we  ought  to  be  cautious  of  car- 
rying the  figurative  application  too  far,  and  of  entering  into  a  piToise  expli- 
cation of  every  particular.  Again,  I  would  advise  that  this  production  be 
treated  according  to  the  established  rules  of  allegory  in  the  sacred  writings, 
and  that  the  author  be  permitted  to  be  his  own  interpreter.  In  this  respect 
the  errors  of  critics  and  divines  have  been  as  numerous  as  they  have 
been  pernicious.  Not  to  mention  other  absurdities,  tbey  have  taken  th« 
allegory,  not  as  denoting  the  universal  state  of  the  church,  but  th  spiritual 
ttate  of  individuals;  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  inconsistent  with  the 
very  nature  and  groundwork  of  the  allegory  itself,  as  well  as  with  the  geu- 
eral  practice  of  the  Hebrew  poets  on  these  occasions." 


96  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

as  to  the  precise  nature  of  the  "Song  of  Songs,"  consid- 
ered as  an  artificial  composition,  and  of  course  as  to  the 
subdivisions  to  be  traced  in  its  structure.  Bossuet  re- 
garded it  as  a  regular  drama,  divided  into  seven  portions, 
corresponding  with  the  seven  days  of  the  Jewish  marriage 
festivals;  and  Lowth,  Percy,  and  Mr.  Williams  adopted 
this  sentiment ;  but  Jahn,  Sir  W.  Jones,  and  our  author, 
with  some  others,  regard  it  as  a  series  of  sacred  Idyls,  the 
number  of  which  Jahn  supposes  to  be  eight,  while  Dr. 
Good  traces  twelve. 

With  regard  to  the  language,  Dr.  Good  remarks,  that 
in  no  translation  which  he  has  seen,  is  the  rendering 
presented  with  all  the  delicacy  of  diction  to  which  the 
original  is  fairly  entitled  :  this  main  defect,  in  his  opinion, 
has  resulted  from  close  verbal  renderings  of  Hebrew 
terms  being  given,  when  they  ought  to  have  been  trans- 
lated equivalently ;  and  in  the  plan  pursued  by  himself, 
we  therefore  find  our  cool  northerly  taste  less  frequently 
offended.  He  exhibits  two  translations  in  opposite  pages, 
one  of  them  resembling,  as  closely  as  the  idioms  of  the 
respective  languages  will  allow,  the  rhythmical  structure 
of  the  original,  the  other  in  heroic  verse. 

In  the  preface,  he  sketches  his  own  views  of  the  na- 
ture of  Solomon's  (or,  as  he  assigns  reasons  for  spelling 
it,  iSbftmtan'J)  Song  :  from  this  preface,  therefore,  I  shall 
select  a  passage,  and  then  present  a  short  specimen  of 
each  of  his  versions. 

"  It  has  been  a  question  in  all  ages,  whether  the  literal 
and  obvious  meaning  of  these  sacred  amorets  be  the 
whole  that  was  ever  intended  by  the  royal  bard  ?  or, 
whether  they  afford  not  at  the  same  time,  the  veil  of  a 
sublime  and  mystical  allegory,  delineating  the  bridal 
union  subsisting  between  Jehovah  and  his  pure  and  uncor- 
rupted  church?  Upon  this  subject  we  have  no  sufficient 
data  to  build  a  decisive  opinion.  To  those  who  disbe- 
lieve the  existence  of  such  an  allegory,  they  still  afford  a 
happy  example  of  the  pleasures  of  holy  and  virtuous  love; 
they  inculcate,  beyond  the  power  of  didactic  poetry,  the 
tenderness  which  the  husband  should  manifest  for  his 
wife,  and  the  deference,  modesty,  and  fidelity  with  which 
his  affections  should  be  returned ; — and,  considered  even 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  97 

in  this  sense  alone,  they   are   fully  entitled   to  the  honor 
of  constituting  a  part  of  the  sacred  Scriptures. 

"  To  myself,  nevertheless,  I  unite  in  the  opinion  of  the 
illustrious  Lowth,  and  believe  such  a  sublime  and  mystic 
allegory  to  have  been  fully  intended  by  the  sacred  bard. 
Regarded  in  this  view,  they  afford  an  admirable  picture 
of  the  Jewish  and  Christian  churches  ;  of  Jehovah's  se- 
lection of  Israel,  as  a  peculiar  people,  from  the  less  fair 
and  virtuous  nations  around  them ;  of  his  fervent  and 
permanent  love  for  his  elder  church,  so  frequently  com- 
pared by  the  Hebrew  prophets  to  that  of  a  bridegroom  for 
his  bride;  of  the  beauty,  fidelity,  and  submission  of  the 
church  in  return  ;  and  of  the  call  of  the  Gentiles  into  the 
pale  of  his  favor,  upon  the  introduction  of  Christianity, 
so  exquisitely  typified  under  the  character  of  a  younger 
sister,  destitute,  in  consequence  of  the  greater  simplicity 
of  its  worship,  of  those  external  and  captivating  attrac- 
tions which  made  so  prominent  a  part  of  the  Jewish 
religion." 


ROYAL    BRIDE,    ATTENDANT    VIRGINS. 
Royal  Bride. 

Ch.  I.  2.  Let  him  kiss  me  with  the  kisses  of  his  mouth  ; 
For  thy  love  is  delicious  above  wine. 

3.  Like  the  fragrance  of  thy  own  sweet  perfumes 
Is  thy  name — a  perfume  poured  forth ; 

For  this  reason  do  the  virgins  love  thee. 

4.  '  Still  thus"  attract  me — we  would  follow  '  thy  perfumes.'— 
The  king  hath  led  me  into  his  apartments. 

/ '/'/ -yinf. 

We  will  exult  in  thec  and  rejoice : 
Thy  love  will  we  celebrate  above  wine  ; 
Thou  art  every  way  lovely. 

Royal  Bride. 

5.  Brown  am  I,  but  comely,  O  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem  ! 
As  the  tents  of  Kedar,  as  tho  tapestries  of  Soloman. 

6.  '  Yet'  despise  me  not  because  I  am  brown, 
For  the  sun  hatli  discolored  me. 

My  mother's  children  were  severe  with  me  ; 

9 


98 


ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

They  made  me  keeper  of  the  vineyards. 
My  own  vineyard  have  I  not  kept. 

7.  Tell  me,  O  thou  !  whom  my  soul  loveth, 
Where  thou  feedest '  thy  flock,' 
Where  thou  leadest  it  to  rest  at  noon. 
For  why  should  I  be  as  a  wanderer 
Among  the  flocks  of  thy  companions  ? 

Virgins. 

8.  If  thou  know  not,  O  thou  fairest  among  women  ! 
Go  forth  in  the  footsteps  of  the  flock ; 

And  leave  thy  kids  to  feed 
Beside  the  tents  of  the  shepherds. 


IDYL    I. 
ROYAL    BRIDE,    ATTENDANT    VIRGINS. 

Royal  Bride. 

O  LET  him  kiss  me  with  those  lips  of  bliss  ! 
P\>r  more  than  nectar  dwells  in  every  kiss. 
Rich  thy  perfumes  ;  but  richer  far  than  they 
The  countless  charms  that  round  thy  person  play: 
Thv  name  alone,  more  fragrant  than  the  rose, 
Glads  every  maid  where'er  its  fragrance  flows. 
Still  let  it  draw  me  ! — with  attraction  sweet 
Still  sway  our  hearts  and  guide  our  willing  feet!— 
Daughters  of  Salem  !  tell  through  every  grove, 
The  partial  monarch  crowns  me  with  his  love. 

Virgins. 

We  share  thy  bliss — and  with  triumphant  voice, 
More  than  o'er  wine,  o'er  costliest  wine,  rejoice. 
Fair  is  thy  form,  well  worthy  of  its  lot, 

0  matchless  excellence  !  and  void  of  spot ! 

Royal  Bride. 

Not  such,  ye  maids  of  Salem,  my  renown ; 
My  form  is  comely,  but  my  face  is  brown : 
Comely  as  tapestry  where  the  king  frequents. 
But  brown  as  Kedar's  tawny-tinctur'd  tents. 
Yet  scorn  me  not  though  thus  of  humbler  hue, — 
'Twas  from  the  sun  the  sultry  tint  I  drew. 
My  mother's  children,  with  unkind  commands, 
In  servile  toils  employ'd  my  infant  hands : 

1  kept  their  vineyards  through  the  blazing  day, 
And  hence  my  own  unprun'd  and  desert  lay. — 


DR.  MASON  GOOD. 


99 


Tell  me,  O  thou  !  for  whom  my  spirit  pines, 
Where  now  beneath  the  noon  thy  flock  reclines  ? 
There  let  me  seek  thee  : — for,  devoid  of  home, 
Why  'mid  the  flocks  of  strangers  should  I  roam  ? 

Virgins. 

If,  O  thou  fairest  of  the  female  race  ! 
His  devious  flock  thou  know  not  where  to  trace, 
Go — mark  their  footsteps — follow  where  they  guide, 
And  leave  thy  kids  the  shepherds'  tents  beside. 

In  the  preface,  our  author  delivers  his  opinion  as  to 
the  probable  age  of  Solomon  when  he  composed  these 
"  Idyls,"  and  endeavors  to  collect  what  he  candidly  de- 
nominates "  a  few  detached  and  unsatisfactory  anecdotes" 
relative  to  "  the  beautiful  and  interesting  personage"  on 
whose  marriage  with  the  Israelitish  king  they  were 
written. 

The  notes,  which  occupy  about  150  pages,  are  ex- 
ceedingly elegant  and  amusing.  Those,  however,  who 
turn  to  them  for  theological  information,  will  be  disap- 
pointed. They  are  intended  to  elucidate,  not  so  much 
the  language  of  religion  as  that  of  love,  and  to  present 
examples  in  which  the  phraseology,  imagery,  and  gene- 
ral sentiment  of  Solomon,  in  "  these  sacred  amorets," 
have  been  accidentally  or  intentionally  imitated.  The 
parallel  passages  are  drawn  together  from  a  great  variety 
of  authors,  Persian,  Arabic,  Greek,  Latin,  Spanish, 
Italian,  and  are,  most  of  them,  very  tasteful  and  pleasing. 
Altogether,  indeed,  they  may  be  regarded  as  constituting 
a  beautiful  anacreontic  garland  of  flowers,  gathered 
from  every  clime ;  but  of  which  a  few  are  too  strongly 
scented  to  be  fully  relished  here,  being  the  produce  of 
such  exotics  as  have  never  yet  flourished  in  an  "  English 
garden."  To  most  of  the  passages  thus  quoted,  transla- 
tions are  appended,  of  which  several  are  by  Dr.  Good 
himself,  and  given  with  great  spirit  and  vivacity. 

MEMOIRS    OF    DR.    GEDDES. 

Dr.  Good's  "  Memoirs  of  the  Life  and  Writings  of  Dr. 
Alexander  Geddes,"  were  published  in  1803,  in  an  8vo. 
volume  of  nearly  600  pages.  This  extraordinary  individual 


100  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

was  born  in  Banffshire,  in  September  1737,  and  died  in 
London,  February  26th,  1802.  He  was  an  indefatigable 
writer,  being  the  avowed  author  of  35  publications  on  dif- 
ferent subjects  connected  with  politics,  and  with  sacred  and 
profane  literature ;  besides  a  great  number  of  pamphlets 
published  anonymously.  His  principal  work  was  a  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible,  of  which,  however,  he  only  published 
a  few  of  the  earlier  books ;  the  boldness  of  his  specula- 
tions, and  the  rashness  of  many  of  his  proposed  emenda- 
tions, having  excited  such  an  opposition  to  his  undertak- 
ing that  he  could  not  possibly  proceed  with  it.  He  was 
a  man  of  profound  and  extensive  erudition,  of  deep  re- 
search, and  of  unwearied  application ;  an  enthusiastic 
propagator  of  his  particular  opinions  respecting  the  Scrip- 
ture historians  :  but  as  these  are  justly  reckoned  not  only 
erroneous,  but  even  dangerous  by  the  majority  of  Chris- 
tians, it  is  no  wonder  that  his  publications  on  such  sub- 
jects diminished  that  respect  which  all  men  of  learning 
would  otherwise  have  entertained  for  him. 

The  memoirs  are  written  in  a  lively,  pleasing  style, 
and  convey  much  amusing  information,  not  only  relative 
to  Dr.  Geddes,  but  to  many  of  his  associates  in  the  literary 
world  ;  men  who  took  an  active  part  in  the  literature  and 
the  politics  of  that  stormy  period,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  French  Revolution  until  about  1800,  when 
political  and  theological  rancor  were  at  their  height,  and 
when  nothing  was  more  difficult  than  for  an  individual  to 
steer  his  course  quietly  through  the  world  without  becom- 
ing a  partizan.  The  biographer  says,  "  I  have  freely 
commended,  and  I  have  freely  blamed — I  have  deviated 
from  Dr.  Geddes's  opinions  where  I  have  seen  reason  for 
dissent,  and  I  have  vindicated  him  in  instances  where  I 
have  conceived  the  motives  of  his  conduct  to  have  been 
misrepresented  or  misunderstood."  The  truth,  however, 
need  not  be  concealed,  that  at  that  time  the  opinions  of 
the  biographer  and  of  his  hero  accorded  pretty  nearly  on 
most  points  ;  although  but  a  few  years  passed  away  before 
Dr.  Good  found  himself  conscientiously  impelled  to 
abandon,  as  dangerous,  many  notions  which  he  had  before 
thought,  if  not  perfectly  true,  at  least  altogether  harmless. 

Among  the  singular  and  dangerous  opinions  held  by 
Dr.  Geddes,  one  of  the  most  revolting  was  that  which 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  101 

related  to  the  character  of  Moses.  He  believed  that  the 
great  Jewish  legislator  was  not  inspired,  but  assumed  a 
pretended  inspiration.  "  Indeed,  (says  he,)  I  cannot 
conceive  how  Moses  could  have  governed  so  rude,  so 
stubborn,  so  turbulent  a  nation — and  made  them  submit 
to  such  a  code  of  laws  as  he  devised  for  them — without 
feigning  an  immediate  intercourse  with  the  Deity,  and 
ascribing  to  him  every  injunction  laid  upon  them.  But 
although  his  communications  with  God  were  frequent, 
and  almost  on  every  emergency,  he  was  particularly  care- 
ful to  keep  the  pQople  at  a  distance  from  the  intercourse ; 
no  one  must  approach  the  mount  while  he  is  receiving 
the  Decalogue,  under  pain  of  death  :  no  one  must  hear 
the  responses  given  from  the  oracle,  but  through  him  ; 
no  one  but  he  sees  God  "  face  to  face  ;"  no  one  must 
reason  against  any  of  his  ordinances  ;  no  one  object  to 
any  of  his  decisions  :  because  his  ordinations  and  decis- 
ions are  all  from  the  mouth  of  God." 

Now,   in  opposition  to  these  preposterous   sentiments 
Dr.  Good  remarks, — 

"  It  is  an  insuperable  objection  to  this  part  of  our 
author's  creed,  that  it  is  contradictory  to  itself.  Dr. 
Geddes  admits  his  most  ample  belief  in  the  divine  author- 
ity of  Jesus  Christ,  "  whose  Gospel  is  his  religious  code, 
whose  doctrines  are  his  dearest  delight :"  but  Jesus 
Christ  uniformly  avowed  the  inspiration  of  Moses,  by 
expressly  adverting  to  such  inspiration  in  the  delivery  of 
one  prediction  fulfilled  in  his  own  person.  It  is  in  every 
respect  inconsistent  and  illogical,  therefore,  to  accredit  the 
divine  mission  of  the  author  of  the  Christian  faith,  and 
yet  to  deny  the  same  authority  to  the  Hebrew  legislator. 
One  principal  reason  that  operated  upon  our  author  in 
support  of  this  denial  was,  the  many  acts  of  cruelty  which 
were  perpetrated  at  the  instigation  of  Moses,  and  from 
which  he  was  anxious  to  exculpate  the  Deity  ;  arid  par- 
ticularly the  total  destruction  and  extermination  of  the 
seven  Canaanite  nations,  and  the  transfer  of  their  land 
and  possessions  to  the  Israelites.  '  I  cannot  possibly 
believe,  (says  he,)  that  ever  a  just,  benevolent  being,  such 
as  I  conceive  my  God  to  be,  gave  such  a  sanguinary 
order  to  Moses  and  the  Israelites  as  in  the  book  of  Deu- 
teronomy is  said  to  have  been  given.'  The  explanation 
*9 


102  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

of  this  transaction,  advanced  by  the  very  liberal  and  learn- 
ed Bishop  of  Llandaff,  in  his  Apology  for  the  Bible,  is 
known  to  every  one,  and  is  satisfactory  to  most.  But  our 
author,  not  only  acknowledges  himself  not  satisfied  with 
it,  but  labors  in  a  long  and  argumentative  note,  to  prove 
its  impotence  and  irrelevancy.  He  will  not  allow  any 
simile  drawn  from  the  phenomena  of  nature  ;  such  as 
the  ravages  of  earthquakes,  pestilences,  or  inundations,  to 
be  coincident  with  this  event,  as  recorded  in  the  Bible. 
'  When  the  earthquake  (says  he)  swallows  up,  the  sea 
overwhelms,  the  fire  consumes,  the  famine  starves,  or  the 
plague  destroys ;  we  are  totally  ignorant  by  what  laws  of 
nature  or  concatenation  of  causes,  the  desolating  events 
happen  ;  we  see  only  the  dismal  effects  :  and  no  conse- 
quence can  rationally  be  deduced  from  them,  against  the 
principle  of  moral  equity.  From  such  events  no  one 
would  derive  an  argument  for  the  lawfulness  of  disposses- 
sing his  neighbor,  either  in  his  property  or  person ;  no 
argument  for  the  lawfulness  of  burying  alive  idolaters, 
drowning  heretics,  starving  atheists,  &,c.' 

"  I  freely  confess  (proceeds  Dr.  Good,)  I  cannot  see 
the  difference  here  contended  for  :  and  even  Dr.  Geddes 
himself  must  have  admitted  the  possibility  of  God's  pre- 
determining and  prognosticating,  as  well  as  immediately 
operating  the  total  extermination  of  a  whole  people,  or- 
must  have  disbelieved  the  tremendous  history  of  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem,  and  the  propagation  of  his  predict- 
ed curse  upon  the  Hebrew  race  to  the  present  moment. 
Here  I  think  the  simile  is  at  least  admissible  ;  and  I  am 
surprised  that  our  modern  polemics  have  not  occasionally 
adverted  to  it.  If  it  be  consistent  with  the  justice  and 
benevolence  of  the  Supreme  Being,  that  the  Jewish 
nation,  his  own  peculiar  people,  should,  on  account  of 
the  enormity  of  their  sins,  be  in  their  turn  attacked  in 
their  inheritance ;  be  subjugated  to  a  foreign  power ; 
become  the  prey  and  plunder  of  a  long  succession  of 
capricious,  cruel,  and  avaricious  tyrants  ;  have  their  city 
and  temple  at  length  assaulted  ;  be  loaded  with  every 
possible  calamity  which  pestilence,  famine,  and  torture, 
their  own  mutual  treacheries  and  animosities,  and  the 
implacable  enmity  and  ingenuity  of  their  adversaries, 
could  invent  during  the  continuance  of  this  tremendous 


DR.  MASON   GOOD,  103 

siege — if  it  be  consistent  with  the  same  adorable  attri- 
butes, that  upwards  of  a  million  of  them  should  fall  vic- 
tims to  so  complicated  a  scourge,  and  that  the  wretched 
remnant  who  escaped  should  be  suffered  to  wander  about 
as  outcasts  and  vagabonds  over  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth,  equally  despised  and  derided  by  every  nation  among 
whom  they  might  acquire  a  temporary  abode — if  it  be 
consistent  with  these  attributes  that  this  terrible  visita- 
tion should  be  persevered  in  for  a  period  of  at  least  eigh- 
teen centuries,  thus  punishing  from  age  to  age,  the  children 
for  the  >•///.-•  of  thi'ir  fathers — if  the  case  before  us,  which 
we  cannot  but  believe,  be  consistent  with  the  justice  and 
benevolence  of  the  Deity — surely  the  case  recorded  (a 
case  of  far  inferior  vengeance)  demands  no  great  credu- 
lity to  obtain  our  assent,  nor  strength  of  reasoning  to 
reconcile  it  with  the  moral  perfections  of  the  Supreme 
Being." 

TRANSLATION  OF  LUCRETIUS. 

Of  the  preceding  works  of  our  author  I  have,  design- 
edly, said  but  little,  that  I  might  speak  more  fully  of  the 
great  work,  which,  as  my  readers  will  already  have  seen, 
(pp.  64 — 67)  occupied  so  large  a  share  of  several  of  the 
most  active  years  of  his  life  ;  the  "  Translation  of  Lucre- 
tius," which,  having  long  devoted  to  it  his  head,  his  hand 
and  his  heart,  he  published  in  1805,  in  two  volumes  quarto. 

It  is  still  a  question  with  many,  whether  or  not  this 
philosophical  poet  is  worthy  of  all  the  pains  which  have 
been  bestowed  upon  him  ;  and,  probably,  like  Epicurus, 
the  great  master  of  his  system,  he  has  received  a  larger 
share  of  both  praise  and  blame  than  are  fairly  his  due. 
It  has  been  said,  for  example,  that  as  a  philosophical 
poet,  Lucretius  is  inferior  to  Homer.  That  he  is  deci- 
dedly inferior  as  a  poet,  no  one  will  question  ;  but  they 
must  view  the  character  of  Homer  through  a  very  extra- 
ordinary medium,  who  regard  him  as  the  poet  of  philoso- 
phy. There  would  be  no  difficulty  in  shewing,  from 
many  of  his  beautiful  similes,  that  he  was  an  accurate 
observer  of  natural  phenomena  ;  and  it  might  be  shewn 
in  like  manner  from  his  exquisite  delineation  of  charac- 
ters, that  he  was  most  intimately  acquainted  with  human 


104  ACCOUNT    OP   THE    WORKS    OP 

nature  ;  yet,  as  he  is  not  on  the  latter  account,  classed 
with  moralists,  so  neither  can  he,  on  the  former,  be  rank- 
ed with  philosophers. 

The  Roman  poets,  indeed,  tinctured  their  sentiments 
and  language  very  deeply  with  the  philosophy  of  the 
Greeks.  Thus  Virgil  adopts  sometimes  the  notions  of 
the  Stoics,  sometimes  those  of  the  Platonists,  at  others 
those  of  the  Pythagorean  and  the  Epicurean  systems. 
Horace  breathes  the  Epicurean  spirit.  Ovid  evinces  his 
acquaintance  with  the  Greek  theogonies:  and  Persius 
warmly  advocates  the  morals  of  the  Stoics.  Yet,  by  these 
and  others,  the  doctrines  they  adopted  were  introduced 
occasionally,  and  not  made  the  basis  of  their  structure. 
Not  so  Lucretius.  In  his  poem,  De  Rerum  Natura,  he 
has  with  accuracy  of  method,  and  clearness  of  concep- 
tion, and  usually  with  great  elegance  of  diction,  entirely 
unfolded  the  system  of  Epicurus :  and  the  remarkable 
fact  ought  not  to  be  suppressed,  that  the  inductive  meth- 
od of  Bacon,  portions  of  the  physics  of  the  Newtonian 
school,  and  of  the  chemical  discoveries  of  the  last  forty 
years,  have  been  anticipated,  both  as  to  their  principles  and 
results,  in  this  elaborate  production.  Although  I  am  by 
no  means  inclined  to  admit  so  much  in  reference  to 
these  points  as  Mr.  Dutens,  in  his  "  Inquiry  into  the 
Origin  of  the  discoveries  attributed  to  the  Moderns,"  or 
even  as  Dr.  Good  has  done  in  his  preface,  and  several  of 
his  notes ;  yet  I  am  not  reluctant  to  allow,  that  with 
respect  to  nature,  active  and  animated,  to  the  corpuscu- 
lar philosophy  the  constitution  of  the  milky  way,  the 
moon,  the  tides,  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  the  exis- 
tence of  the  Fallopian  tubes,  the  sexual  system  of  plants, 
the  principles  of  sculpture,  painting,  and  music,  and 
some  of  our  metaphysical  theories,  the  ancients  have  pre- 
ceded us  by  more  than  a  mere  adumbration  ;  and  that 
the  perspicuous  developement  of  various  trains  of  inquiry, 
thought  to  have  been  peculiar  to  the  last  century,  in  this 
great  work  of  Lucretius,  give  to  it  an  interest  possessed 
by  no  other  production  of  Roman  genius,  independently 
of  that  which  is  excited  by  its  poetical  merit. 

That  it  has  poetical  merit,  however,  and  that  of  the 
highest  order,  was  declared  by  Cicero,  Virgil,  Horace, 
Ovid,  Gellius,  and  Cornelius  Nepos,  among  the  ancients  ; 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 


105 


as  well  as  by  moderns  of  deserved  reputation.  Dr. 
Warton,  especially,  in  his  Dissertation  on  the  Life  and 
Writings  of  Pope,  says,  "  The  Persians  distinguish  the 
different  degrees  of  the  strength  of  fancy  in  different  poets, 
by  calling  them  painters  or  sculptors.  Lucretius,  from 
the  force  of  his  images,  should  be  ranked  among  the 
latter.  He  is,  in  truth,  a  sculptor-poet.  His  writings 
have  bold  relief."  And  again,  in  another  dissertation, 
when  devoting  himself  to  a  more  complete  exfoliation  of 
the  character  and  great  production  of  this  sculptor-poet, 
he  says,  "  I  am  next  to  speak  of  Lucretius,  whose  merit 
has  never  yet  been  sufficiently  displayed,  and  who  seems 
to  have  had  more  fire,  spirit,  and  energy,  more  of  the 
vivifla,  r/.s  animi,  than  any  of  the  Roman  poets,  not  ex- 
cepting Virgil  himself.  Whoever  imagines,  with  Tully, 
that  Lucretius  had  not  a  great  genius,  is  desired  to  cast 
his  eye  on  two  pictures  he  has  given  us  at  the  beginning 
of  his  poem  :  the  first  of  Venus,  with  her  lover  Mars, 
beautiful  to  the  last  degree,  and  more  glowing  than  any 
picture  painted  by  Titian ;  the  second,  of  that  terrible 
and  gigantic  figure,  the  demon  of  superstition,  worthy 
the  energetic  pencil  of  Michael  Angelo.  Neither  do  I 
think  that  the  description  that  immediately  follows,  of  the 
sacrifice  of  Iphigenia,  was  excelled  by  the  famous  picture 
of  Timanthes  on  the  same  subject,  of  which  Pliny  speaks 
so  highly  in  the  35th  book  of  his  Natural  History  :  espe- 
cially the  minute  and  moving  circumstances  of  her  per- 
ceiving the  grief  of  her  father  Agamemnon,  and  of  the 
priest's  concealing  his  sacrificing  knife,  and  of  the  spec- 
tators bursting  into  tears,  and  her  falling  on  her  knees. 
Few  passages  even  in  Virgil  himself,  are  so  highly  finish- 
ed, contain  such  lively  descriptions,  or  are  so  harmonious 
in  their  versification,  as  where  our  poet  speaks  of  the 
fruitfulness  occasioned  throughout  all  nature  by  vernal 
showers,  of  the  ravages  committed  by  tempestuous 
winds,"  &,c.  The  Doctor  then  proceeds  briefly,  but 
with  commendation,  to  describe  and  select  from  the  six 
books,  into  which  the  poem  is  divided.* 

*  The  sentiments  of  Dionysius  Lambinus,  the  eclilor  of  the  Paris  edition 
of  1563—70,  (whom  Eichstadt  characterises  as  "  vir  exquisiiissimae  doc- 
trinae  copijs,  et  singular!  acumine  praeditus,")  being  less  known  to  the  E»- 


106  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

With  an  admiration  of  his  author  not  inferior  to  that 
of  Lambinus,  and  with  a  mind  copiously  imbued  both 
with  classical  knowledge,  and  with  the  results  of  the  arts 
and  sciences  of  every  polished  nation,  Dr.  Good  devoted 
himself  to  the  translation  and  commentary  of  which  I  am 
now  to  speak. 

A  spirited  preface,  and  a  life  of  Lucretius,  occupy 
about  130  pages  of  the  first  volume.  In  these  he  briefly 
adverts  to  preceding  translations,  and  deduces  from  their 
imperfections  the  necessity  of  his  own.  He  also  enters 
into  an  elaborate  defence  of  the  system  of  Epicurus,  and 

glish  reader  than  those  of  Warton,  may  without  impropriety  be  inserted  In 
this  note. 

"  The  poem  of  Lucretius,  although  he  advances  in  it  some  opinions  that 
are  repugnant  to  our  religion,  is,  nevertheless,  a  most  beautiful  poem,  dis- 
tinguished, illustrated,  and  adorned,  with  all  the  bril!'.ancy  of  wit  and  fancy. 
What,  though  Epicurus  and  Lucretius  were  impious  in  our  views,  are  we 
who  read  them  therefore  impious  ?"...."  Since  we  daily  read  many 
things  that  are  fabulous,  incredible,  and  false,  either  to  yield  some  respite  to 
our  minds,  or  to  make  us  the  more  constantly  to  adhere  to  such  as  are 
true,  what  reason  is  there  that  we  should  despise  Lucretius,  a  most  elegant 
and  beautiful  poet,  the  most  polite  and  the  most  ancient  of  all  the  Latin 
writers,  from  whom  Virgil  and  Horace  have,  in  many  places,  borrowed  not 
half,  but  whole  verses  ?  When  he  descants  upon  the  invisible  corpuscles  or 
first  principles  of  things,  on  their  motion,  their  various  configuration,  on  the 
void,  the  images  or  tenuous  membranes  that  fly  off  from  the  surface  of  all 
bodies,  the  nature  of  the  mind  and  soul,  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 
planets,  the  nature  of  lightning,  of  the  rainbow,  the  causes  of  diseases,  and 
of  many  other  things,  he  is  learned,  wise,  judicious,  and  elegant.  In  the 
introductions  to  his  books,  in  his  similes,  his  examples,  his  disputations 
against  the  fear  of  death,  concerning  the  inconveniences  and  the  harms  of 
love,  in  his  account  of  sleep,  and  of  dreams,  he  is  copious,  discreet, 
eloquent,  and  often  sublime.  We  not  only  read  Homer,  but  even  commit 
his  verses  to  memory,  because,  under  the  veil  of  fables,  partly  obscene, 
partly  absurd,  he  has  in  a  manner  included  the  knowledge  of  all  natural 
and  human  things.  Why,  then,  shall  we  not  hear  Lucretius,  who,  without 
the  disguise  of  fables  and  such  trifles,  not  always  indeed  truly,  nor  piously, 
but  plainly  and  openly,  and  in  a  style  the  most  correct  and  pure,  treats  of 
the  principles  and  causes  of  things,  of  the  universe,  of  its  parts,  of  a  happy 
life,  and  of  things  celestial  and  ter.cstrial  ?".  ..."  How  admirably  does  he 
discourse  upon  the  restraining  of  pleasures,  the  curbing  of  the  passions,  and 
the  attainment  of  tranquillity  of  mind  !  How  wisely  does  he  rebuke  and 
confute  those  who  affirm  that  nothing  can  be  perceived,  and  nothing 
known !  How  beautiful  are  his  descriptions  !  How  graceful,  as  the  Greeks 
call  them,  are  his  episodes  !  How  fine  are  his  descriptions  of  colors,  of 
mirrors,  of  the  loadstone,  and  of  the  Averni  !  How  serious  and  impressive 
are  his  exhortations  to  live  continently. justly,  temperately,  innocently! 
What  shall  we  say  of  his  diction,  than  which  nothing  can  be  imagined  more 
pure,  correct,  perspicuous,  or  elegant.  I  scruple  not  to  affirm,  that  in  all 
the  Latin  language,  no  author  writes  Latin  better  than  Lucretius,  and  that 
the  diction,  neither  of  Cicero  nor  of  Csesar,  is  more  pure." — Epistle  Dedi- 
catory to  diaries  IX. 


DR.    MASOX    GOOD.  107 

skilfully,  though  not  with  entire  success,  defends  him 
from  the  charge  of  atheism  and  irreligion.  From  this 
portion  of  the  \vork  I  shall  select  a  few  passages,  as  in- 
dicative both  of  Dr.  Good's  manner  and  of  his  tone  of 
thought,  at  the  period  in  which  they  were  written. 

"  In  attentively  perusing  the  poem  before  us,  it  is  im- 
possible to  avoid  noticing  the  striking  resemblance  which 
exists  between  many  of  its  most  beautiful  passages, 
and  various  parts  of  the  poetic  books  of  the  Scrip- 
tures: and  the  Abbe  de  St.  Pierre,  as  well  as  several 
other  continental  writers,  have  hence  considered  Lucre- 
tius to  have  been  acquainted  with  them.  The  idea,  it 
must  be  confessed,  is  but  little  more  than  a  conjecture/ 
but  it  is  a  conjecture  which  may  easily  be  defended.  Vir- 
gil, who,  though  considerably  younger  than  Lucretius, 
was  contemporary  with  him,  and  attained  his  majority  on 
the  very  day  of  our  poet's  decease,  was  indisputably  ac- 
quainted with  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah ;  and  Longinus, 
who  flourished  during  the  reign  of  Aurelian,  quotes  from 
the  Mosaic  writings  by  name.  It  is  not  difficult  to  ac- 
count for  such  an  acquaintance  :  for  different  books  of  the 
Bible,  and  especially  those  of  the  Pentateuch,  appear  to 
have  been  translated  into  Greek  by  the  Jews  themselves, 
at  least  three  centuries  anterior  to  the  Christian  aera,  for 
the  use  of  their  brethren,  who  at  that  time  were  settled  in 
Egypt,  and  other  Grecian  dependencies,  and,  residing 
among  the  Greeks,  had  adopted  the  Greek  language. 
The  Septuagint  itself,  moreover,  was  composed  and  pub- 
lished about  the  same  period,  by  the  express  desire,  and 
under  the  express  patronage,  of  Ptolemy  Philadelphus ; 
who,  convinced  of  the  importance  and  excellence  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures,  was  desirous  of  diffusing  a  knowledge 
of  them  among  the  various  classes  of  men  of  letters,  who, 
at  his  own  invitation,  had  now  thronged  to  Alexandria 
from  every  quarter.  Theocritus  was  at  this  time  among 
the  number,  and  largely  partook  of  the  liberality  of  the 
Egyptian  monarch  ;  and  Sanctius  seems  fairly  to  have 
established  it,  that  the  labors  of  the  Grecian  idyllist  are 
deeply  imbued  with  the  spirit,  and  evince  manifest  imita- 
tions of  the  language,  of  the  Song  of  Songs.  Dr.  Hodg- 
son has,  indeed,  ascended  very  considerably  higher,  and 
even  challenges  Anacreon  with  having  copied,  in  a  varie- 


108  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

ty  of  instances,  from  this  inimitable  relic  of  the  sacred 
poetry  of  Solomon.  This  accusation  may,  perhaps,  be 
doubtful  ;  but  it  would  be  easy  to  prove,  if  the  discussion 
were  necessary  in  the  present  place,  that,  during  the 
dynasty  of  the  Ptolemies,  not  only  the  muses  of  Aonia 
were  indebted  to  the  muse  of  Sion,  but  that  the  eclectic 
philosophy,  which  first  raised  its  monster  head  within  the 
same  period,  incorporated  many  of  the  wildest  traditions 
of  the  Jewish  rabbis  into  its  chaotic  hypothesis.  The 
literary  connexion  which  subsisted  between  Rome  and 
Alexandria  is  well  known  ;  and  it  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  writings,  which  appear  to  have  been  so  highly  prized 
in  the  one  city,  would  be  received  with  total  indifference 
in  the  other. 

"  Be  this,  however,  as  it  may ;  be  the  parallelisms  I 
advert  to,  designed  or  accidental ;  I  trust  I  shall  rather 
be  applauded  than  condemned,  for  thus  giving  a  loose  to 
the  habitual  inclination  of  my  heart.  Grotius,  Schultens, 
Lowth,  and  Sir  William  Jones,  have  set  me  the  example, 
and,  while  treading  in  the  steps  of  such  illustrious  schol- 
ars, I  need  not  be  afraid  of  public  censure.  Like  them, 
I  wish  to  prove  that  the  sacred  pages  are  as  alluring  by  their 
language,  as  they  are  important  in  their  doctrines ;  and 
that,  whatever  be  the  boast  of  Greece  and  Rome  with 
respect  to  poetic  attainments,  they  are  often  equalled,  and 
occasionally  surpassed,  by  the  former.  The  man  who, 
professing  the  Christian  religion,  is  acquainted  with  the 
ancient  classics,  ought,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  acquaint- 
ed with  biblical  criticism  ;  he  has,  otherwise,  neglected 
his  truest  interest,  and  lived  but  for  little  purpose  in  the 
world.  I  delight  in  profane  literature,  but  still  more  do  I 
delight  in  my  Bible  :  they  are  lamps,  that  afford  a  mutual 
assistance  to  each  other.  In  point  of  importance,  how- 
ever, I  pretend  not  that  they  admit  of  comparison  ;  and 
could  it  once  be  demonstrated  that  the  pursuits  are  in- 
consistent with  each  other,  I  would  shut  up  Lucretius  for 
ever,  and  rejoice  in  the  conflagration  of  the  Alexandrian 
library." 

The  following  able  sketch  of  the  system  of  Epicurus 
will  be  read  with  interest  and  advantage  by  the  young  stu- 
dent of  the  philosophy  of  the  ancients. 

"  In   its  mere  PHYSICAL   contemplation,  the  theory  of 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 


109 


Epicurus  allows  of  nothing  but  matter  and  space,  which 
are  equally  infinite  and  unbounded,  which  have  equally 
existed  from  all  eternity,  and  from  different  combinations 
of  which  every  individual  being  is  created.  These  exist- 
ences have  no  property  in  common  with  each  other  ;  for, 
whatever  matter  is,  that  space  is  the  reverse  of;  and  what- 
ever space  is,  matter  is  the  contrary  to.  The  actually 
solid  parts  of  all  bodies,  therefore,  are  matter ;  their 
actual  pores,  space  ;  and  the  parts  which  are  not  altogeth- 
er solid,  but  an  intermixture  of  solidity  and  pore,  are 
space  and  matter  combined.  Anterior  to  the  formation 
of  the  universe,  space  and  matter  existed  uncombined,  or 
in  their  pure  and  elementary  state.  Space,  in  its  elemen- 
tary state,  is  positive  and  unsolid  void  :  matter,  in  its 
elementary  state,  consists  of  inconceivably  minute  seeds 
or  atoms — so  small,  that  the  corpuscles  of  vapor,  light, 
and  heat,  are  compounds  of  them  ;  and  so  solid,  that  they 
cannot  possibly  be  broken,  or  made  smaller,  by  any  con- 
cussion or  violence  whatever.  The  express  figure  of 
these  primary  atoms  is  various :  there  are  round,  square, 
pointed,  jagged,  as  well  as  many  other  shapes.  These 
shapes,  however,  are  not  diversified  to  infinity ;  but  the 
atoms  themselves,  of  each  existent  shape,  are  infinite  or 
innumerable.  Every  atom  is  possessed  of  certain  intrin- 
sic powers  of  motion.  Under  the  old  school  of  Democri- 
tus,  the  perpetual  motions  exhibited  were  of  two  kinds, — 
a  descending  motion,  from  its  own  gravity  ;  and  a  re- 
bounding motion,  from  mutual  concussion.  Besides 
these  two  motions,  and  to  explain  certain  phenomena 
which  the  following  poem  developes,  and  which  were  not 
accounted  for  under  the  old  system,  Epicurus  supposed 
that  some  atoms  were  occasionally  possessed  of  a  third, 
by  which,  in  some  very  small  degree,  they  descended  in 
an  oblique  or  curvilinear  direction,  deviating  from  the 
common  and  right  line  anomalously ;  and  hence,  in  this 
respect,  resembling  the  oscillations  of  the  magnetic 
needle. 

"  These  infinitudes  of  atoms,  flying  immemorially  in 
such  different  directions,  through  all  the  immensity  of 
space,  have  interchangeably  tried  and  exhibited  every 
possible  mode  of  action, — sometimes  repelled  from  each 
other  by  concussion,  and  sometimes  adhering  to  each 
10 


110  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

other  from  their  own  jagged  or  pointed  construction,  or 
from  the  casual  interstices  which  two  or  more  connected 
atoms  must  produce,  and  which  may  just  be  adapted  to 
those  of  other  configurations,  as  globular,  oval,  or  square. 
Hence  the  origin  of  compound  bodies  ;  hence  the  origin 
of  immense  masses  of  matter  ;  hence,  eventually,  the  ori- 
gin of  the  world  itself.  When  these  primary  atoms  are 
closely  compacted  together,  and  but  little  vacuity  or  space 
intervenes,  they  produce  those  kinds  of  substances  which 
we  denominate  solid,  as  stones  and  metals  :  when  they 
are  loose  and  disjoined,  and  a  large  quantity  of  space  or 
vacuity  occurs  between  them,  they  produce  the  phenome- 
na of  wool,  water,  vapor.  In  one  mode  of  combination, 
they  form  earth ;  in  another,  air ;  and  in  another,  fire. 
Arranged  in  one  way,  they  produce  vegetation  and  irrita- 
bility ;  in  another  way,  animal  life  and  perception.  Man 
hence  arises — families  are  formed — society  multiplies,  and 
governments  are  instituted. 

"  The  world,  thus  generated,  is  perpetually  sustained 
by  the  application  of  fresh  elementary  atoms,  flying  with 
inconceivable  rapidity  through  all  the  infinitude  of  space, 
invisible  from  their  minuteness,  and  occupying  the  posts 
of  all  those  that  are  perpetually  flying  off.  Yet,  nothing 
is  eternal  and  immutable  but  these  elementary  seeds  or 
atoms  themselves  ;  the  compound  forms  of  matter  are  con- 
tinually decompounding,  and  dissolving  into  their  original 
corpuscles  :  to  this  there  is  no  exception — minerals, 
vegetables,  and  animals,  in  this  respect  all  alike,  when 
they  lose  their  present  configuration,  perishing  from  ex- 
istence for  ever,  and  new  combinations  proceeding  from 
the  matter  into  which  they  dissolve.  But  the  world  itself 
is  a  compound,  though  not  an  organized  being ;  sustained 
and  nourished  like  organized  beings,  from  the  material 
pabulum  that  floats  through  the  void  of  infinity.  The 
world  itself  therefore,  must,  in  the  same  manner,  perish  : 
it  had  a  beginning,  and  it  will  eventually  have  an  end. 
Its  present  crasis  will  be  decompounded  ;  it  will  return 
to  its  original,  its  elementary  atoms  ;  and  new  worlds  will 
arise  from  its  destruction. 

"  Space  is  infinite,  material  atoms  are  infinite,  but  the 
world  is  not  infinite. — This,  then,  is  not  the  oniy  world, 
or  the  only  material  system,  that  exists.  Th&  cause 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  Ill 

whence  this  visible  system  originated  is  competent  to  pro- 
duce others ;  it  has  been  acting  perpetually  from  all  eter- 
nity ;  and  there  are  other  worlds  and  other  systems  of 
worlds  existing  around  us.  In  the  vast  immensity  of 
space,  there  are  also  other  beings  than  man,  possessed  of 
powers  of  intellect  and  enjoyment  far  superior  to  our 
own  ;  beings  who  existed  before  the  formation  of  the  world, 
and  will  exist  when  the  world  shall  perish  forever  ;  whose 
happiness  flows  unlimited  and  unalloyed,  and  whom  the 
tumults  and  passions  of  gross  matter  can  never  agitate. 
These,  the  founder  of  the  system  denominated  gods  ; — 
not  that  they  created  the  universe,  or  are  possessed  with  a 
power  of  upholding  it ;  for  they  are  finite  and  created 
beings  themselves,  and  endowed  alone  with  finite  capaci- 
ties and  powers ; — but  from  the  uninterrupted  beatitude 
and  tranquillity  they  enjoy,  their  everlasting  freedom  from 
all  anxiety  and  care."  p.  cxi. 

"  Epicurus,  in  the  opening  of  a  letter  addressed  to  a 
favorite  disciple,  says,  '  Believe,  before  all  things,  that 
God  is  an  immortal  and  blessed  Being ;  as,  indeed,  com- 
mon sense  should  teach  us  concerning  God.  Conceive 
nothing  of  him  that  is  repugnant  to  blessedness  and  im- 
mortality, and  admit  everything  that  is  consistent  with 
these  perfections. 

"  He  admitted,  moreover,  the  existence  of  orders  of 
intelligences,  possessed  of  superior  powers  to  the  human 
race,  whom,  like  the  angels  and  archangels  of  the  Chris- 
tian system,  he  conceived  to  be  immortal  from  their  na- 
ture ;  to  have  been  created  anterior  to  the  formation  of 
the  world,  to  be  endowed  with  far  ampler  faculties  of  en- 
joyment than  mankind,  to  be  formed  of  far  purer  mate- 
rials, and  to  exist  in  far  happier  abodes.  The  chief  dif- 
ference which  I  have  been  able  to  discern  between  the 
immortal  spirits  of  the  Epicurean  system,  and  the  Chris- 
tian theologist,  is,  that  while  the  latter  are  supposed  to 
take  an  active  part  in  the  divine  government  of  the  world, 
the  former  are  represented  as  having  no  kind  of  con- 
nexion with  it:  since  it  was  conceived  by  Epicurus  that 
euch  an  interference  is  absolutely  beyond  their  power, 
and  would  be  totally  subversive  of  their  beatitude." 
p.  Ixvi. 

Gassendi,  in  his  tractate  "  de  Vita  et  Moribus   Epi- 


112  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

curi,"  has  a  similar  observation.  Yet  the  difference  to 
which  both  he  and  Dr.  Good  advert,  is  not  secondary  and 
trifling,  but  primary,  essential,  and  of  the  utmost  moment. 
If,  as  Epicurus  taught,  it  was  inconsistent  with  the  na- 
ture and  being,  not  merely  of  these  minor  divinities  but 
of  the  Supreme  Deity,  to  give  himself  either  diversion  or 
disturbance  by  making  the  world  ;  if  he  encumber  not 
himself  with  the  care  and  government  of  it ;  if  he  dwell 
for  ever  in  the  extramundane  spaces,  exercising  no  in- 
spection over  mankind,  nor  concerning  himself  about 
their  actions  and  affairs ;  if  in  him  neither  anger  nor 
favor,  complacency  nor  displacency,  have  place ;  where 
can  scope  be  found,  in  such  a  system,  for  the  exercise  of 
piety  towards  God,  of  submission  to  his  authority,  resig- 
nation to  his  will,  or  a  regard  to  his  favor  and  protection  ? 
Interpreted  correctly,  therefore,  this  is  a  cold  and  com- 
fortless theory,  equally  robbing  God  of  his  richest  attri- 
butes, and  man  of  his  most  delectable  privileges.  It 
takes  away  all  intercourse,  all  communion,  between 
mankind  and  the  Great  Supreme:  God  cannot  "dwell 
with  man  upon  earth,"  man  cannot  dwell  with  God  in 
heaven  ;  and  Deity  becomes  a  mere  speculation  ;  at  the 
utmost  an  object  of  veneration,  but  never  the  object  of 
love. 

If  virtue  spring  from  such  a  source,  (and  it  is  right  to 
admit  that  Epicurus  was,  in  many  respects,  a  virtuous 
man,  gentle,  kind,  temperate,  continent,)  the  scheme  of 
morality  must  be  wrong  at  its  very  foundation.  The  vir- 
tue which  it  prescribes  is  resolved  into  a  man's  private 
convenience  and  advantage,  independently  of  reference 
to  any  Divine  law,  (for  Divine  law,  in  truth,  there  could 
not  be  on  such  a  system  :)  if  Epicurus  declaim  against 
vice,  it  is  because  it  would  expose  the  culprit  to  the  pen- 
alties of  human  laws  ;  but  he  declaims  much  more  ear- 
nestly against  the  fear  of  the  gods,  and  the  fear  of  death ; 
the  former  because  the  gods  regard  not  us,  the  latter 
because  "  whilst  we  live,  death  is  not ;  and  when  death  is, 
we  are  not."  Against  injustice,  ambition,  envy,  revenge, 
he  levels  several  excellent  observations  ;  and  many  of 
them  are  wrought  out,  with  much  beauty,  by  Lucretius  ; 
yet,  as  a  system  for  the  regulation  of  human  conduct,  and 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  113 

the  real  augmentation  of  human  happiness,  experience, 
wherever  it  was  tried,  evinced  its  total  inefficacy. 

The  same,  however,  may  be  affirmed  of  every  human 
system,  ancient  or  modern.  And  it  is  solely  to  put  the 
young  and  ardent  admirer  of  classical  literature  upon  his 
guard,  that  he  may  be  watchful  as  to  the  defects  of  every 
system  but  one,  and  set  his  eyes  fully  upon  the  glories  of 
that  one,  the  system  revealed  to  us  by  God  himself,  that  I 
have  thought  it  right  to  present  these  remarks.  Had  a 
now  edition  been  called  for  during  the  lifetime  of  my  de- 
ceased friend,  he  would,  I  am  persuaded,  most  scrupu- 
lously have  precluded  the  possibility  of  mistake  on  this 
important  subject. 

But  it  is  time  we  should  proceed  to  the  work  itself;  on 
corresponding  and  opposite  pages  of  which  Dr.  Good  has 
placed  the  original,  (closely,  but  not  slavishly,  following 
Mr.  Wakefield's  edition,)  and  his  own  translation.  In 
adopting  blank  verse  as  his  vehicle,  he  seems  to  have  set 
at  defiance  the  frequently  quoted  aphorism  of  Johnson  ,* 
but  the  truth  is,  that  in  thus  deciding  he  was  much  more 
likely  to  succeed  in  the  happy  transfusion  of  the  sentiments 
of  Lucretius,  than  if  he  had  "  condescended  to  rhyme." 
Freed  from  the  restraints  of  similar  termination,  the 
translator  of  a  didactic  and  philosophic  poem  has  a  far 
better  chance  of  rendering  his  author  faithfully,  without 
waste  of  words,  than  those  who  confine  themselves  to  the 
rhyming  couplet.  Thus,  in  the  translations  of  Creech, 
of  Dryden,  and  of  Dr.  Busby,  we  meet  with  frequent  and 
sometimes  ridiculous  redundancies  ;  and  those  who  have 
compared  the  translations,  of  the  Iliad  by  Pope  and  Cow- 
per,  will  have  noticed  the  advantage,  in  point  of  terseness 
and  general  accuracy,  possessed  by  the  latter  translator. 
Blank  verse,  in  the  hands  of  one  who  has  a  tolerable 
command  of  diction,  admits  of  a  dignity  and  variety  in 
translation,  which  is  seldom  attained  by  him  who  rhymes. 
The  adoption  of  blank  verse,  therefore,  in  the  translation 
of  Lucretius  has,  I  believe,  been  generally  approved. 
The  characteristic  of  Dr.  Good's  poetry  is  elegant  variety. 
His  versification  is  easy,  his  style  flowing,  and  usually 
harmonious  ;  and,  in  the  philosophical  portions  especially 

*  "  He  that  thinks  himself  capable  of  astonishing'  may  write  blank  verse  ; 
but  those  that  hope  only  to  please,  must  condescend  to  rhvme." 

*10 


114  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

the  copious  diction  of  modern  science  has  often  been 
felicitously  introduced.  In  the  pathetic  and  the  awful, 
he  has,  I  think,  sometimes  failed  :  but  in  these  depart- 
ments of  his  art,  the  Roman  poet  exhibits  a  simple 
majesty,  which,  I  am  aware,  it  is  far  more  easy  to  ad- 
mire than  to  imitate. 

The  reader,  however,  will  form  a  more  correct  estimate 
from  a  few  specimens,  than  from  any  criticisms  which  I 
can  offer. 

Let  me  first,  then,  present  Dr.  Good's  version  of  the 
far  famed  exordium  of  the  second  book  : — 

Suave,  mari  magno  turbantibus  tequora  ventis, 
E  terra  magnum  alterius  spectare  laborem :     &c. 

in  which  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  the  language  and 
imagery  have  excited  universal  admiration,  and  produced 
a  host  of  imitators. 

How  sweet  to  stand,  when  tempests  tear  the  main, 
On  the  firm  cliff,  and  mark  the  seaman's  toil ! 
Not  that  another's  danger  soothes  the  soul, 
But  from  such  toil  how  sweet  to  feel  secure  ! 
How  sweet,  at  distance  from  the  strife,  to  view 
Contending  hosts,  and  hear  the  clash  of  war  ! 
But  sweeter  far  on  Wisdom's  height  serene, 
Upheld  by  Truth,  to  fix  our  firm  abode ; 
To  watch  the  giddy  crowd  that,  deep  below, 
Foi  ever  wander  in  pursuit  of  bliss  : 
To  mark  the  strife  for  honors  and  renown, 
For  wit  and  wealth,  insatiate,  ceaseless  urg'd 
Day  after  day,  with  labor  unrestrain'd. 

O  wretched  mortals  !  race  perverse  and  blind  ! 
Through  what  dread  dark,  what  perilous  pursuits, 
Pass  ye  this  round  of  being  ! — know  ye  not 
Of  all  ye  toil  for,  nature  nothing  asks 
But  for  the  body  freedom  from  disease, 
And  sweet,  unanxious  quiet,  for  the  mind  ? 

And  little  claims  the  body  to  be  sound: 
But  little  serves  to  strew  the  paths  we  tread 
With  joys  beyond  e'en  Nature's  utmost  wish. 
What,  though  the  dome  be  wanting,  whose  proud  walls 
A  thousand  lamps  irradiate,  propt  sublime 
By  frolic  forms  of  youths  in  massy  gold, 
Flinging  their  splendors  o'er  the  midnight  feast : 
Though  gold  and  silver  blaze  not  o'er  the  board, 
Nor  music  echo  round  the  gaudy  roof? 
Yet  listless  laid  the  velvet  grass  along 
Near  gliding  streams,  by  shadowy  trees  o'er-arch'd, 
Such  pomps  we  need  not ;  such  still  less  when  spring 
Leads  forth  her  laughing  train,  and  the  warm  year 


DR.   MASON  GOOD.  115 

Paints  the  green  meads  with  roseat  flowers  profuse. 
On  down  reclin'd,  or  wrapp'd  in  purple  robe, 
The  thirsty  fever  burns  with  heat  as  fierce 
As  when  its  victim  on  a  pallet  pants. 

Since,  then,  nor  wealth,  nor  splendor,  nor  the  boast 
Of  birth  illustrious,  nor  e'en  regal  state 
Avails  the  body,  so  the  free-born  mind 
Their  aid  as  little  asks.     Unless,  perchance, 
The  warlike  host,  thou  deem,  for  thee  array'd 
In  martial  pomp,  and  o'er  the  fiery  field 
Panting  for  glory  ;  and  the  gorgeous  fleet, 
For  thee  unmoor'd,  and  ardent, — can  dispel 
Each  superstitious  terror  ;  from  the  breast 
Root  out  the  dread  of  death,  and  lull  to  peace 
The  cares,  the  tumults,  that  distract  thy  soul. 
But  if  all  this  be  idle,  if  the  CARES, 
The  TERRORS  still  that  haunt,  and  harass  man, 
Dread  not  the  din  of  arms, — o'er  kings  and  chiefs 
Press  unabash'd,  unaw'd  by  glittering  pomp, 
The  purple  robe  unheeding — canst  thou  doubt 
Man  pants  for  these  from  poverty  of  mind, 
Wand'ring  in  darkness,  and  through  life  misled  ? 

For  as  the  boy,  when  midnight  veils  the  sKies, 
Trembles,  and  starts  at  all  things,  so,  full  oft, 
E'en  in  the  noon  men  start  at  forms  as  void 
Of  real  danger  as  the  phantoms  false 
By  darkness  conjur'd,  and  the  school-boy's  dread. 
A  terror  this  the  radiant  darts  of  day 
Can  ne'er  disperse  :  to  truth's  pure  light  alone, 
And  wisdom  yielding  intellectual  suns.  I.  C2. 

The  beautiful  passage  in  the  fifth  book,  in  which  the 
poet  manifests  his  superiority  to  some  of  the  vulgar  super- 
stitions beginning  with, 

Nee  pietas  ulla  est  velatum  Sfepe  videri 

Vorticr  ad  lapidem,  atque  omneis  adcedere  ad  aras; 

has  received  this  spirited,  though  rather  free  rendering. 

No — it  can  ne'er  be  piety  to  turn 

To  stocks  and  stones  with  deep-veil'd  visr:o\  ;  light 

O'er  every  altar  incense ;  o'er  the  dust 

Fall  prostrate,  and,  with  outstretched  arms,  invoke 

Through  every  temple,  every  god  that  reigns, 

Soothe  them  with  blood,  and  lavish  vows  on  vows. 

This,  rather  thou  term  piety,  to  mark 

With  cairn  untrembling  soul  each  scene  ordain'd. 

For  when  we,  doubtful,  heaven's  high  arch  survey, 

The  firm  fixt  ether,  sta--emboss'd,\and  pause 

O'er  the  sun's  path,  and  pale  meand'ring  moon, 


116  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

Then  superstitious  cares,  erevvhile  represt 

By  cares  more  potent,  lift  their  hydra-head. 

"  What !  from  the  gods,  then,  flows  this  power  immense 

That  sways,  thus  various,  the  bright  host  of  stars  ? — 

(For  dubious  reason  still  the  mind  perturbs) 

This  wondrous  world  how  form'd  they ?  to  what  end 

Doom'd  ?  through  that  period  can  its  lab'ring  walls 

Bear  the  vast  toil,  the  motions  now  sustain'd  ? 

Or  have  th'  immortals  fram'd  it  free  from  death, 

In  firm,  undevious  course  empovver'd  to  glide 

O'er  the  broad  ravage  of  eternal  time  ?"  V.  1243. 

That  portion  of  the  fifth  book,  in  which  Lucretius  pre- 
sents a  description  of  primaeval  life  and  manners,  and 
traces  from  thence  the  growth  of  civilization  and  refine- 
ment, and  the  corresponding  modifications  in  the  habits 
and  pleasures  of  man,  has  been  regarded  as  most  happily 
characteristic  of  his  best  manner.  I  shall  quote  another 
passage  from  this  part  of  the  poem,  as  one  in  which  the 
translator  has  caught  much  of  the  spirit  of  his  author. — 

But  nature's  self  th'  untutor'd  race  first  taught 

To  sow,  to  graft ;  for  acorns  ripe  they  saw, 

And  purple  berries,  shatter'd  from  the  trees, 

Soon  yield  a  lineage  like  the  trees  themselves. 

Whence  learn'd  they,  curious,  through  the  stem  mature 

To  thrust  the  tender  slip,  and  o'er  the  soil 

Plant  the  fresh  shoots  that  first  disordered  sprang. 

Then,  too,  new  cultures  tried  they,  and,  with  joy, 
Mark'd  the  boon  earth,  by  ceaseless  care  caress'd, 
Each  barbarous  fruitage  sweeten  and  subdue. 
So  loftier  still  and  loftier  up  the  hills 
Drove  they  the  woodlands  daily,  broad'ning  thus 
The  cultur'd  foreground,  that  the  sight  might  trace 
Meads,  corn-fields,  rivers,  lakes,  and  vineyards  gay, 
O'er  hills  and  mountains  thrown ;  while  thro'  the  dales, 
The  downs,  the  slopes,  ran  lavish  and  distinct 
The  purple  realm  of  olives  ;  as  with  hues 
Distinct,  though  various  still  the  landscape  swells, 
Where  blooms  the  dulcet  apple,  mid  the  tufts 
Of  trees  diverse  that  blend  their  joyous  shades. 

And  from  the  liquid  warblings  of  the  birds 
Learn'd  they  their  first  rude  notes,  ere  music  yet 
To  the  rapt  ear  had  tun'd  the  measurd  verse  ; 
And  Zephyr,  whisp'ring  through  the  hollow  reeds, 
Taught  the  first  swains  the  hollow  reed  to  sound  : 
Whence  woke  they  soon  those  tender  trembling  tones 
Which  the  sweet  pipe  when  by  the  fingers  prest, 
Pours  o'er  the  hills,  the  vales,  and  woodlands  wild, 
Haunts  of  lone  shepherds,  and  the  rural  gods. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  117 

So  growing  time  points,  ceaseless,  something  new, 
And  human  skill  evolves  it  into  day. 

Thus  sooth'd  they  ev'ry  care,  with  music,  thus 
Clos'd  ev'ry  rneal,  for  rests  the  bosom  then. 
And  oft  they  threw  them  on  the  velvet  grass, 
Near  gliding  streams,  by  shadowy  trees  o'er-arch'd, 
And  void  of  costly  wealth,  found  still  the  means 
To  gladden  life.     But  chief  when  genial  spring 
Led  forth  her  laughing  train,  and  the  young  year 
Painted  the  meads  with  roseat  flow'rs  profuse — 
Then  mirth,  and  wit,  and  wiles,  and  frolic,  chief, 
Flow'd  from  the  heart ;  for  then  the  rustic  muse 
Warmest  inspir'd  them  :  then  lascivious*  sport 
Taught  round  their  heads,  their  shoulders,  taught  to  twine 
Foliage,  and  flowers,  and  garlands  richly  dight ; 
To  loose,  innum'rous  (unmeasur'd)  time  their  limbs  to  move, 
And  beat,  with  sturdy  foot,  maternal  earth  ; 
While  many  a  smile,  and  many  a  laughter  loud, 
Told  all  was  new,  and  wondrous  much  esteem'd. 
Thus  wakeful  liv'd  they,  cheating  of  its  rest 
The  drowsy  midnight ;  with  the  jocund  dance 
Mixing  gay  converse,  madrigals,  and  strains 
Run  o'er  the  reeds  with  broad  recumbent  lip : 
As,  wakeful  still,  our  revellers  through  night 
Lead  on  their  defter  dance  to  time  precise  ; 
Yet  will  not  costlier  sweets,  with  all  their  art, 
Than  the  rude  offspring  earth  in  woodlands  bore.     V.  1451. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  estimate  of  this  work,  con- 
sidered as  a  translation,  it  may  justly  claim  a  considera- 
bly augmented  value  on  account  of  the  voluminous  and 
extremely  diversified  collection  of  annotations,  which 
form  a  kind  of  running  commentary  to  the  entire  poem. 
These  notes  are  printed  in  double  columns,  with  a  type 
much  smaller  than  the  original  and  translation ;  and 
occupying,  as  they  do  on  the  average,  more  than  half  of 
each  page,  comprise  altogether  a  rich  body  of  entertain- 
ment and  instruction.  They  consist  of  comments  on  the 
doctrines  of  the  poem,  and  of  the  sect  of  philosophers 
whose  tenets  Lucretius  espoused ;  observations  on  the 
peculiarities  of  other  schools  of  philosophy,  Indian,  Gre- 
cian, Roman,  &,c. ;  correct  sketches  of  the  discoveries 
and  theories  of  the  moderns,  whether  devoted  to  chemis- 
try or  physics ;  developements  of  striking  facts  in  natural 

"  The  term  lascivia  is  often  and  elegantly  made  use  of  in  poetry,  and 
particularly  by  Lucretius,  without  ititendinir  to  express  any  impurity  of 
action." 


118  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

history  ;  and  allusions  to  many  extraordinary  anticipa- 
tions of  discoveries  supposed  to  be  modern.  Our  anno- 
tator  also  expatiates,  with  taste  and  feeling,  upon  the 
beauties  of  his  author,  and  collects  numerous  obvious  or 
imagined  imitations  of  him  in  several  poets  of  earlier  and 
later  times.  His  extensive  attainments  as  a  linguist,  and 
that  indefatigable  industry  to  which  I  have  more  than 
once  adverted,  enabled  him  to  enrich  this  department  of 
his  undertaking  with  an  almost  boundless  profusion  ;  and 
to  present  resemblances,  parallelisms,  allusions,  and  prob- 
able copies  of  his  text,  from  Arabic,  Persian,  Greek, 
Latin,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Italian,  French,  German 
English,  and  other  poets,  from  various  parts  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  from  every  work  of  taste  or  knowledge 
that  could,  without  unnatural  straining,  contribute  to  his 
purpose.  In  cases  where  he  could  not  at  once  select 
good  English  renderings  of  the  authors  quoted  in  these 
illustrations,  he  has  introduced  translations  of  his  own  ; 
and  these,  together  with  his  criticisms,  and  his  reasonings 
on  the  utmost  diversity  of  topics,  evince  a  union  of  learn- 
ing, taste,  feeling,  and  judgment,  such  as  has  very  rarely 
been  found.  Sometimes,  indeed,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  his  admiration  of  his  author  and  his  theories  carry 
him  beyond  the  limits  of  sober  interpretation  ;  yet,  on  the 
whole,  these  notes  possess  a  rich  and  permanent  value  ; 
and  may  be  generally  consulted,  by  one  who  guards 
against  this  tendency,  with  the  utmost  safety,*  as  well  as 
advantage  and  pleasure.  To  facilitate  the  reader's  appli- 
cation to  them,  a  comprehensive  and  judicious  index  of 
the  several  subjects  treated  both  in  the  poem  and  in  the 
notes,  is  placed  at  the  end  of  the  second  volume. 

Looking  back  upon  the  space  which  has  been  already 
devoted  to  these  volumes,  I  feel  the  expediency  of  check- 
ing myself;  and  shall,  therefore,  only  select  two  or  three 
specimens  from  Dr.  Good's  interesting  commentary. 

On  turning  to  an  exquisite  passage  in  the  3d  book, 
beginning, 

Nam  jam  non  domus  adcipiet  te  laeta,  neque  uxor 

*  It  is  a  matter  of  sincere  and  deep  regret,  that  the  translator  did  not,  by 
expunging,  instead  of  translating,  some  vi-ry  objectionable  passages  near 
the  end  of  the  fourth  book,  insure  for  this  his  elaborate  work  an  unqualified 
commendation. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  119 

Optuma,  nee  dulces  obcurrent  oscula  natei 
Prceripere,  et  tacita  pectus  dulcedine  tangent : 

we  find  a  very  characteristic  note,  which,  with  the  simple 
omission  of  the  Greek,  Latin,  and  German  originals, 
cited  by  the  annotator,  I  shall  now  introduce. 


-"  Thy  babes  belov'd, 


Whose  haste  half-met  thee,  emulous  to  snatch 
The  dulcet  kiss " 

"  I  must  not  hear  forbear  to  quote  a  beautiful  passage 
of  Homer,  towards  which,  as  Lambinus  has  justly  obser- 
ved, Lucretius  appears  to  have  thrown  his  eye,  in  this 
exquisite  delineation,  and  whence,  perhaps,  he  drew  the 
rudiments  of  one  of  his  most  pathetic  traits  : 

Know  thou,  whoe'er  with  heavenly  power  contends, 

Short  is  his  date,  and  soon  his  glory  ends. 

From  fields  of  death,  when  late  he  shall  retire, 

No  infant  on  his  knees  shall  call  him  sire.  Pope. 

"  But  though  Lucretius  may,  perhaps,  with  respect  to 
one  idea,  be  a  copyist  of  Homer,  Virgil  is  a  far  closer 
copyist  of  Lucretius.  Yet  he  has  written,  as  Dr.  Warton 
judiciously  asserts,  with  less  tenderness  and  effect : 

He  feels  the  father's  and  the  husband's  bliss, 

His  infants  climb,  and  struggle  for  a  kiss  ; 

His  modest  house  strict  chastity  maintains.  Jl'arton. 

"  Our  own  language  boasts  of  a  variety  of  imitations  of 
this  elegiac  and  exquisite  passage  ;  of  which  several  are 
possessed  of  great  feeling  and  simplicity.  The  following 
is  from  the  pathetic  muse  of  Gray  : 

For  them  no  more  the  blazing  hearth  shall  burn, 
Or  busy  housewife  ply  her  evening  care  ; 
%         JVo  children  run,  to  lisp  their  sire's  return, 
Or  climb  hi&-knccs,  the  entied  kiss  to  share. 

"  The  two  last  lines  are  very  nearly  a  verbal  transla- 
tion. The  next  imitation,  to  which  1  shall  refer,  is  by 
Thomson  ;  it  is  freer  than  that  of  Gray,  but  executed 


120  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

with  equal  felicity.     It  occurs  in  his  Winter,  to  which 
season  it  particularly  adverts  : 

In  vain  for  him  th'  officious  wife  prepares 

The  fire  fair-blazing,  and  the  vestment  warm  : 

In  vain,  his  little  children,  peeping  out 

Into  the  mingled  storm,  demand  their  sire 

With  tears  of  artless  innocence.     Alas  ! 

JVor  wife,  nor  children,  more  shall  he  behold, 

Nor  friends,  nor  sacred  home.  Ver.  311. 

"  It  is  not  unlikely  that  Thomson,  rather  than  Lucre- 
tius, has  been  copied  in  this  delineation  by  Klopstock,  in 
the  following  verses,  which  comprise  a  part  of  the  medi- 
tations of  the  repentant  Abadonna  : 

Come,  let  me  see  the  man  that  yonder  lies 
Dying,  and  wrung  with  anguish  as  he  dies ; 
And  mark  his  gory  wounds.     In  dead  of  night 
Haply  he  hasted,  with  a  sire's  delight 
To  clasp  his  babes,  that  round  their  mother's  knee, 
Lisp'd  his  dear  name.     These  never  shall  he  see  ! 
By  ruthless  ruffians  murder'd  ! — 

"  Equally  in  point,  with  both  these  citations,  is  the 
following,  by  Collins  ;  affording  a  picture  which  yields  to 
neither  of  them  in  tenderness  or  beauty.  It  comprises  a 
part  of  his  well-known  description  of  the  Kelpie,  a  Water- 
fiend  : 

For  him,  in  vain,  his  anxious  wife  shall  wait, 
Or  wander  forth  to  meet  him  on  his  way  ; 

For  him,  in  vain,  at  to-fall  of  the  day, 

His  babes  shall  linger  at  th'  unclosing  gate. — 

Ah  !  ne'er  shall  he  return  ! — 

"  I  add  the  following  from  Dyer,  because,  though  it 
offers  a  parallel,  if  not  a  copied  image,  it  directs  to  a 
happier  purpose.  The  poet  is  representing  the  agricul- 
tural province  of  a  worthy  cottager  with  whom  he  was 
acquainted,  and  who  never  suffered  the  growth  of  useless 
trees  about  the  few  acres  he  occupied  : 

Only  a  slender  tuft  of  useful  ash, 

And  mingled  beech,  and  elm.   securely  tall, 

The  little  smiling  cottage,  warm  embower'd: 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  121 

The  little  smiling  cottage,  where  at  eve 
Jfe  mcrty  his  rosy  children  at  the,  door, 
Prattling  their  icelcomes,  and,  his  honest  wife, 
With  good  brown  cake,  and  bacon-slice,  intent 
To  cheer  his  hunger  alter  labor  hard. 

Fleece,  Book  I. 

"  Of  a  purport  precisely  similar,  and  pregnant  with 
similar  imagery,  is  the  ensuing  address  of  a  cottager  to 
his  beloved  wife,  from  the  Idyls  of  Gessner,  with  which  I 
shall  conclude  this  note.  It  occurs  in  his  Herbstmor- 
gen  : 

"  When  seated  by  thee,  let  the  pent-up  winds  put  forth 
their  rage  :  let  the  snow-storm  cover  the  face  of  the 
earth ;  then  chiefly  feel  I  that  thou  art  everything  to 
me.  May  the  fulness  of  my  prosperity  be  the  lot  of 
yourselves,  ye  lovely  children  !  adorned  with  every  grace 
of  your  mother,  which  blossoms  as  a  blessing  upon  us 
both  !  The  first  syllable  she  taught  you  to  lisp  was  to  let 
me  know  that  ye  loved  me.  As  I  return  from  the  field  or 
the  flock,  joyfully  ye  throng  together,  and  call  to  me  from 
the  sill  of  the  door ;  and  clinging  round  my  knees,  re- 
ceive, with  childish  rapture,  the  little  presents  I  bring 
you — O  how  does  your  pure  and  innocent  happiness 
transport  me  !" Vol.  I.  page  502. 

In  adverting  to  the  poetic  representations  of  death  and 
its  harbingers,  some  observations  occur  which  are  not  un- 
worthy the  attention  of  biblical  critics  : 

"The  personification  of  Death,  in  the  act  of  executing 
the  divine  commands,  is  exhibited  with  great  difference, 
both  as  to  features  and  character,  amongst  different  na- 
tions. Perhaps  the  most  mean  and  insignificant  delinea- 
tion is  the  common  monkish  one  of  a  skeleton  with  a 
dart  in  one  hand,  and  an  hour-glass  in  the  other, 
ghauntly  striding  towards  the  victim  of  his  attack  :  while 
one  of  the  most  terrible  and  best  defined,  is  that  of  the 
Scandinavian  poets,  who  represent  him  as  mounted  on 
horseback,  fleeing,  in  the  dead  of  night  with  inconceiva- 
ble rapidity,  over  hedges  and  ditches,  vallies,  mountains, 
and  rivers,  in  pursuit  of  his  prey,  meagre  in  flesh,  wan 
in  color,  and  horrible  in  aspect,  the  horse  possessing 
the  same  character  as  the  rider.  Many  of  the  German 
ballads,  and  especially  those  of  Burger,  have,  of  late, 


122  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

made  a  free  use  of  this  personification ;  and  it  has 
been  contended  that  the  picture  is  altogether  of  Scandi- 
navian origin,  and  peculiar  to  the  bards  of  that  country  : 
yet  what  will  such  antiquarians  say  to  the  following  par- 
allel passage  in  the  APOCALYPSE,  ch.  vi.  8.  which,  while 
it  evinces  every  characteristic  feature  of  the  foregoing 
imagery,  adds  a  variety  of  collateral  circumstances  of  the 
utmost  sublimity  and  terror,  unknown  to  Runic  poetry, 
infinitely  superior  to  its  proudest  and  most  energetic 
specimens  :  '  And  I  looked,  and  behold  !  a  ghastly  horse, 
and  the  name  of  his  rider  was  DEATH  ;  and  HELL  fol- 
lowed him.  And  they  were  empowered  to  exterminate  a 
fourth  part  of  the  earth  with  sword,  and  with  famine,  and 
with  pestilences  and  with  the  wild  beasts  of  the  earth.' 
The  word  here  translated  ghastly,  x.^^,  is  peculiarly 
expressive  in  the  original.  It  is  more  generally  rendered 
pale,  but  this  is  still  less  adequate  to  its  real  spirit ;  it 
means  that  green-sick,  wan,  and  exanimate  hue  which 
is  pathognomically  descriptive  of  the  disease  termed  chlo- 
rosis."— Vol.  II.  page  585. 

Again,  in  the  very  next  page,  while  commenting  upon 
that  '•'  daring  dithyrambic  expression,"  '  We  change  the 
covering  of  the  skies,'  Dr.  Good  remarks,  that  the  sacred 
writings  furnish  many  similar  examples,  and  quotes  the 
originals  of  Psalm  cii.  25,  26,  and  of  Isaiah  xl.  21 — 23. 
Rendering  the  latter  part  of  the  citation  from  the  Psalm 
thus, 

— Even  as  a  garment  shall  they  be  worn  out, 

And  when  thou  choosest  to  change  them  they  shall  be  changed. 

I  shall  be  forgiven  for  inserting  the  remainder  of  the 
note. 

"  Have  ye  not  known  ?  have  ye  not  heard  ? 
Hath  it  not  been  published  to  you  from  the  beginning  ? 
Have  ye  not  understood  from  the  foundations  of  the  earth  ? 
He  who  sitteth  upon  the  circle  of  the  earth, 
And  to  whom  its  inhabitants  are  as  grasshoppers ; 
Who  unfoldeth  the  heavens  as  a  curtain, 
And  spreadeth  them  out  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in  ; 
Who  reduceth  magistrates,  yea,  monarchs,  to  nothing — 
Can  dissolve  the  earth  itself  into  emptiness  ? 

"The  arrangement  here  presented,  of  this  sublime 
passage  of  the  original,  is  different  from  that  afforded  by 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  123 

any  modern  version  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  yet  I 
have  no  doubt  that  it  is  what  was  intended  by  the 
prophet  himself.  It  gives  a  sense  far  more  magnificent 
than  that  in  common  acceptation  ;  is  more  consonant  with 
the  context,  and  prevents  the  necessity  of  arbitrarily  sup- 
plying the  verb  it  is,  at  the  opening  of  verse  22,  for  which 
there  is  no  authority  in  the  Hebrew.  Upon  turning  to 
the  Septuagint,  I  find,  also,  that  I  am  countenanced  in 
this  rendering  by  the  translation  there  offered,  which,  in 
ver.  23,  runs  as  follows  : 

"O  ftS'ouf  ntp^vT*.;  w;  cuffv  etfX.ily'> 

THN  AE  THN  'fiS  OTAEN  EFIOIHSEN. 

"  The  word  curtain,  in  ver.  22.  which  I  have  contin- 
ued from  our  standard  version,  is  rendered  awning  by 
Dr.  Stock,  who  justifies  the  change  by  a  note  cited  from 
bishop  Lowth,  as  occurring  in  Shaw's  Travels.  With 
due  deference  to  these  very  excellent  authorities,  I  still 
think  the  standard  rendering  preferable.  The  kind  of 
curtain,  immediately  referred  to,  is  that  which  was  sus- 
pended in  Greece,  Rome,  and  Asia,  (in  which  last  region 
the  same  custom  still  prevails)  over  the  theatres  and 
pleasure-gardens,  to  screen  them  from  the  heat  of  the 
sun,  and  which  was  drawn  or  undrawn  at  option.  For  a 
fuller  account  of  which,  the  reader  may  turn  to  the  note 
on  Book  IV.  ver.  80.  of  the  present  Poem  :  and  especially 
to  my  translation  of  the  Song  of  Son<rs,  Idyl  IX. 
Note  12. 

"  The  beginning  of  ver.  24,  obviously  refers  to  the 
graven  images  in  ver.  19,  20 ;  and,  in  bold  metaphorical 
language,  delineates  their  utter  impotence  and  vanity  : 

No — they  shall  not  be  planted  ;  no — they  shall  not  be  sown  ; 
No — their  stock  shall  not  take  root  in  the  ground  : 
But  he  shall  blow  upon  them,  and  they  shall  wither, 
And  the  whirlwind  shall  scatter  them  like  stubble. 

"  The  particle  i^,  which  means  either  yea,  or  no, 
according  to  its  position,  verily,  surely,  omnino,  is  here 
rendered,  with  much  more  force,  negatively,  than  affir- 
matively, as  in  our  common  versions :  and  it  is  in  this 


124  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

sense,  also,  that  it  is  understood  by  the  Septuagint." — 
Vol.  II.  p.  587. 

It  is  with  considerable  effort  that  I  restrain  myself 
from  quoting  many  instructive  passages,  exfoliating  the 
principles  of  taste  in  the  tine  arts,  and  the  history  of 
practical  science,  as  well  as  of  metaphysical  speculation, 
which  I  had  marked  for  insertion.  But  no  one  who 
wishes  to  acquire  general  knowledge,  need  hesitate  to 
consult  these  volumes  from  an  apprehension  that  he  may 
consult  them  in  vain. 

ANNIVERSARY     ORATION. 

In  March,  1808,  Dr.  Good  delivered  before  the  Medi- 
cal Society  of  London,  of  which  he  was  then  the  senior 
secretary,  the  "  Anniversary  Oration,  on  the  general 
structure  and  physiology  of  plants,  compared  with  those  of 
animals,  and  on  the  mutual  convertibility  of  their  de- 
ments." He  was  unexpectedly  called  to  the  task,  and 
had  but  a  short  time  for  its  preparation  :  but  the  attempt 
was  cordially  received,  and  the  Oration  was  published  at 
the  unanimous  request  of  the  Society.  Though  only 
constituting  a  pamphlet  of  56  pages,  it  was  regarded  as 
truly  valuable. 

The  author  commences  in  examining  the  general  struc- 
ture of  the  vegetable  system,  by  first  noticing  the  seed 
of  the  plant,  which  he  denominates  its  egg;  he  examines 
the  structure  and  component  parts  of  this  vegetable  egg, 
in  what  manner  the  root  issues  from  one  part  of  its  cen- 
tral organ  (its  corticle  or  heartkt,}  and  the  trunk  from 
another  part :  then  he  traces  the  respective  structure  of 
these  derived  organs,  and  the  means  by  which,  in  several 
plants,  the  one  may  be  made  interchangeably  to  assume 
the  functions  of  the  other  :  he  next  unfolds,  so  to  speak, 
the  substances  of  which  the  trunk  consists ;  elucidates 
the  process  of  its  annual  growth  and  lignification  ;  treats 
of  the  number  and  nature  of  the  different  systems  of 
vegetable  vessels,  and  investigates  the  questions  of  vege- 
table circulation,  irritability,  and  contractibility. 

The  author  proceeds,  in  the  second  place,  to  point  out 
a  few  of  the  resemblances  of  vegetables  to  the  economy 
or  habits  of  animals  ;  such  as  that  of  their  production — 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  125 

that  the  blood  of  plants,  like  that  of  animals,  is  compound 
— that  as  in  animals,  so  in  vegetable  life,  the  very  same 
tribe,  or  even  individual,  which,  in  some  of  its  organs, 
secretes  a  wholesome  aliment,  in  other  organs  secretes  a 
deadly  poison — that  vegetables  as  well  as  animals  are 
subject  to  the  classification  of  locomotive  or  migratory, 
and  fixed  or  permanent — that  plants,  like  animals,  have 
a  wonderful  power  of  maintaining  their  common  tempera- 
ture, whatever  be  the  temperature  of  the  surrounding 
atmosphere — that  both  are  capable  of  existing  in  very 
great  degrees  of  heat  and  cold — and  that  both  admit  of 
the  division  into  terrestrial,  aquatic,  amphibious  and 
aerial. 

Lastly,  the  author  discusses  the  question  of  converti- 
bility, and  shews  that  vegetable  matter  can  only  be  as- 
similated to  animal  by  parting  with  its  excess  of  carbon, 
and  receiving  a  supply  of  its  deficiency  of  azote.  Then, 
to  complete  the  circle,  it  is  shewn  that  by  means  of  putre- 
faction, the  radical  elements  of  animal  matter  return  to 
their  original  affinities. 

Every  part  of  this  physiological  disquisition,  gives  indi- 
cations of  various  reading,  extensive  research,  cautious 
experiment,  and  impressive  deduction.  But  as  several  of 
its  facts  and  reasonings  have  been  brought  forward,  in  a 
more  mature  shape,  in  some  of  the  author's  later  publica- 
tions, this  brief  outline  of  its  general  nature  and  principal 
features  may  suffice. 

MEDICAL    TECHNOLOGY. 

Pursuing  the  chronological  order,  I  have  next  to  speak 
of  Dr.  Good's  essay,  "  On  Medical  Technology,"  which 
appeared  in  1808  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Medical  Society 
of  London  ;  that  scientific  body  awarding  to  the  author 
"  the  Fut/icrffillian  medal"  in  testimony  of  their  approba- 
tion of  his  labor.  And  here  it  will  not  be  expected  that 
I  should  characterize  the  essay  with  a  decision  akin  to 
that  which  might  be  assumed  by  a  medical  critic ;  but 
that  I  should  simply  present  such  a  view  as  may  be  taken 
by  one  who  has  not  been  indifferent  to  the  subject  of  nom- 
enclature or  technology  in  general. 


12tJ  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    \TOSKS    OF 

With  regard  to  most  of  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences, 
great  improvements  in  technology,  it  is  well  known,  have 
been  introduced  during  the  last  fifty  years.  The  nom- 
enclature of  chemistry,  especially,  has  undergone  a  com- 
plete transformation  ;  and  if  any  one  wishes  to  convince 
himself  thoroughly  of  the  vast  influence  of  names  upon 
things,  and  the  facilities  given  by  accurate  philosophical 
language  to  invention  and  discovery,  he  need  only  to 
study  carefully  the  history  of  that  department  of  science. 
Medical  technology,  however,  has  not  derived  such  advan- 
tages from  this  circumstance  as  might  have  been  expected ; 
nor  even  has  pharmacy  been  so  purified  from  its  jargon,  as 
every  one  who  uses  medicine,  as  well  as  every  one  who 
prescribes  medicine,  might  naturally  wish. 

The  ordinary  vocabulary  of  medicine  still  remains  an 
ill  assorted  mass  of  terms  from  numerous  languages,  and 
numerous  systems,  alike  destitute  of  precision  and  sim- 
plicity. "  We  have  (says  Dr.  Good)  Hebrew  and  Arabic 
terms  ;  Greek  and  Latin  ;  French,  Italian,  Spanish,  Ger- 
man, English,  and  even  Indian,  African,  and  Mexican  ; 
often  barbarously  and  illegitimately  compounded,  fanci- 
ful in  their  origin,  and  cacophonous  in  pronunciation." 
The  sources  of  the  inadequacy  and  perplexity  of  medical 
language,  he  traces,  1st.  To  the  intermixture  of  differ- 
ent tongues  that  have  no  family  or  dialectic  union.  2dly. 
To  the  want  of  a  common  principle  in  the  origin  or 
appropriation  of  terms.  3dly.  To  the  introduction  of  a 
variety  of  useless  synonyms.  4thly.  To  imprecision  in 
the  use  of  the  same  terms.  5thly.  To  a  needless  coinage 
of  new  terms.  His  examples  in  illustration  are  often 
really  curious,  at  least  to  an  unprofessional  reader.  Some- 
times, similarity  of  color  has  suggested  the  name,  some- 
times the  order  of  time,  at  others  natural  history,  at 
others  the  names  of  persons  and  places.  Among  the 
specimens  furnished  under  the  third  class,  are  fames  ca- 
nina,  rabies  canina  (dog-hunger,  dog-madness  :)  cynancke 
(dog-choak  ;)  boulimia  (ox-maw  ;) pica  (magpie-longing;) 
hippus  and  hippopyon  (horse-twinkle,  and  horse-blotch  ;) 
elephantiasis  (elephant-skin  ;)  scrophula  (swine-evil ;) 
vitiligo  (calf-skin;)  ichthyosis  (fish-skin  ;)  &,c. 

As  a  remedy  for  the  numerous  evils  occasioned  by  a 
vague,  unsettled,  and  irregular  nomenclature,  Dr.  Good 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  127 

proposes,  simply,  to  discard  all  equivocal  terms  as  much 
as  possible,  to  create  as  few  new  words  as  possible,  and 
to  limit  the  vocabulary  as  much  as  possible  to  one 
language  alone.  He  gives  some  cautions,  however,  as 
to  the  employment  of  such  Greek  terms  as  have  reached 
us  through  the  Latin ;  and  specifies,  as  a  most  important 
rule  in  conferring  due  simplicity  and  precision  upon  the 
nomenclature,  that  a  scrupulous  attention  be  paid  to  the 
sense  in  which  the  affixed  and  suffixed  particles  are  em- 
ployed, in  compound  terms,  to  express  the  peculiar 
quality  of  the  disease  denoted  by  the  theme  or  radical. 
He  adverts  to  some  striking  anomalies  which  have  prevail- 
ed in  the  use  of  the  particles ;  and  then  prescribes  a  few 
general  regulations. 

TRANSLATION    OF     THE    BOOK    OF   JOB. 

It  is  a  striking  fact  in  the  history  of  letters,  that  the 
most  ancient  book  is  also  one  of  the  most  sublime.  "  The 
whole  book  of  Job,  (says  Mr.  Pope*)  with  regard  both  to 
sublimity  of  thought,  and  morality,  exceeds  beyond  all 
comparison,  the  most  noble  parts  of  Homer."  And  Dr 
Good,  in  a  eulogy  on  this  noble  composition,  as  just  as  it 
is  elegant,  says,  "  Nothing  can  be  purer  than  its  morali- 
ty ;  nothing  sublimer  than  its  philosophy ;  nothing  more 
majestic  than  its  creed.  It  is  full  of  elevation  and  gran- 
deur ;  daring  in  its  conceptions  ;  splendid  and  forcible  in 
its  images ;  abrupt  in  his  transitions  ;  and  at  the  same 
time,  occasionally  interspersed  with  touches  of  the  most 
exquisite  and  overwhelming  tenderness." 

This  was  denominated  by  Gregory  Nazianzen,  one  of 
the  Jive  metrical  books,  and,  as  such,  it  is  placed  in  our 
Bibles,  with  the  other  four,  namely,  the  Psalms,  Proverbs, 
Ecclesiastes,  and  the  Canticles,  between  the  historical 
and  the  prophetical  books.  Biblical  critics,  and  others, 
have  collected  and  contributed  a  large  store  towards  the 
illustration  of  this  valuable  portion  of  Scripture  :  yet  not- 
withstanding, many  questions  may  be  raised,  relative  to 
the  reality  of  Job's  person,  the  time  and  region  in  which 
he  lived,  the  author  of  the  book,  its  precise  object,  &c.  ; 
to  all  of  which  it  is  not  easy  to  furnish  decisive  replies. 

*  Pope's  translation  of  the  Odyssey,  book  xvL.tbe  last  no!c. 


128  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

If,  as  has  been  often  imagined,  the  narrative  part  of  this 
book  is  comprehended  in  the  first  two  chapters,  and  the 
last  eleven  verses  of  the  concluding  chapter,  while  all  the 
rest  is  devoted  to  the  poem,  then  we  may  notice  this  cu- 
rious fact,  that  in  the  said  narrative  portion,  the  word 
JEHOVAH,  THE  LORD,  occurs  twenty-six  times,  while  in 
the  poem  itself,  we  find  it  only  in  chap.  xii.  9  ;  xxxviii.  1  • 
xl.  1,  3,  G;  and  chapter  xlii.  1.  Why  is  it,  that  this 
sacred  name  is  so  frequently  employed  in  the  narrative, 
and  so  sparingly  introduced  in  the  dialogue  ?  This,  how- 
ever, though  a  curious  question,  is  one  of  minor  im- 
portance, unless,  which  I  am  incompetent  to  say,  its  full 
discussion  should  tend  to  throw  light  upon  the  object  and 
structure  of  the  entire  composition. 

Dr.  Good,  who  through  the  greater  part  of  his  life  paid 
a  very  marked  attention  to  "  the  five  metrical  books,''  and 
has,  indeed,  given  several  spirited  translations  from  them 
in  the  notes  to  his  Lucretius,  devoted  portions  of  the 
Sunday  mornings  and  evenings,  for  some  years  to  a  trans- 
lation of  the  book  of  Job;  which  he  published  in  1812, 
with  an  introductory  dissertation  and  numerous  notes, 
constituting  together  a  thick  octavo  volume. 

The  preliminary  dissertation  is  divided  into  five  sec- 
tions, in  which  the  author  inquires  successively  into  the 
scene  of  the  poem,  its  scope,  subject,  arrangement,  lan- 
guage, author,  sera,  and  the  doctrines  which  it  is  intend- 
ed to  teach.  In  the  course  of  these  inquiries,  he  assigns 
the  principal  reasons  from  which  he  infers  that  Job  was 
a  real  person,  a  chieftain  of  great  power  and  influence, 
dwelling  in  Idumsea,  Ausitis,  or  Uz,  and  that  all  the  other 
persons  named,  Eliphaz,  Bildad,  &c.  were  Idumaeans,  or, 
in  other  words,  Edomite  Arabs,  chieftains  or  governors 
of  the  respective  cities  or  districts  to  which  their  names 
are  prefixed.  From  the  peculiarities  of  the  style  of  this 
sublime  composition,  from  its  author's  extensive  acquain- 
tance with  the  astronomy,  natural  history,  and  general 
science  of  the  age,  and  from  other  circumstances  speci- 
fied in  the  dissertation,  Dr.  Good  concludes  that  the  au- 
thor must  have  been  a  Hebrew  by  birth  and  native  lan- 
guage, an  Arabian  by  long  residence  and  local  study, 
and  must  have  lived  subsequently  to  Abraham,  but  before 
the  Israelitish  Exodus  from  Egypt :  in  short,  that  he  could 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  129 

have  been  no  other  than  Moses,  and  that  he  composed  it 
during  some  part  of  his  forty  years'  residence  in  Midian. 
Dr.  Good  aims  farther  to  prove  that  the  poem  is  a  regular 
Hebrew  epic,  founded  upon  facts  which  occurred  long 
before  ;  and  that,  besides  the  instructive  lessons  derivable 
from  the  character,  prosperity,  trial,  afflictions,  and  resto- 
ration of  Job,  the  book  was  also  intended  to  teach  us  the 
patriarchal  religion,  as  it  existed  before  the  introduction 
of  the  Mosaic  institutions.* 

Some  of  these  positions  have  been  controverted  by 
other  Biblical  critics.  Yet,  on  the  whole,  the  opinion 
that  the  book  of  Job  is  an  epic  poem,  founded  upon  pre- 
vious facts, t  and  written  by  Moses,  is  at  last  as  tenable 
as  any  which  has  been  advanced.  The  objections  to  a 
later  author  than  the  great  Jewish  legislator,  appear  to 
me,  I  confess,  insurmountable.  And,  if  the  author  preced- 
ed Moses,  who  was  he  ?  If  the  author  was  not  an  He- 
brew and  a  reputed  prophet,  how  came  the  book  to  be 
received  into  the  canon  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures  1  Noth- 
ing is  less  probable  than  that  a  nation  so  jealous  of  their 
religious  privileges  as  the  Jews,  should  have  enrolled  in 
their  depository  of  sacred  books,  a  poem  written  in  refer- 
ence to  a  foreigner  by  a  foreigner. 

Dr.  Good,  guided  in  this  respect,  if  I  do  not  mistake, 
principally  by  the  suggestions  of  Schultens  and  Grey, 
supposes  the  book  to  be  divided  into  six  parts.  These  he 
sketches  with  considerable  vivacity  and  ability,  in  his 
Introductory  Dissertation ;  from  which,  as  it  serves  to 
throw  new  light  upon  a  book,  which  by  many  is  very  im- 
perfectly understood,  I  shall  present  a  copious  extract. 

*  Dr.  J.  P.  Smith,  a  writer  alike  distinguished  for  his  erudition  and  his 
candor,  speaking  of  Dr.  Good's  Introductory  Dissertation,  says,  "  The 
varii-'v  of  the  history,  the  patriarchal  antiquity  of  the  poem,  and  its  high 
rank  in  the  series  of  the  divine  dispensations,  are  here,  in  my  opinion  estab- 
lished with  much  sobriety  of  criticism,  and  with  solidity  and  copiousness 
of  proof."  Smith's  Scripture  Testimony  to  the  Messiah,  vol.  i.  p.  209.  In 
a  preceding  passage,  he  mentions  the  •'  happy  and  next  to  demonstrable 
emendation,"  by  which  Dr.  Good  has  restored  perspicuity  to  a  hitherto  in- 
extricable clause  in  chap.  xix.  26. 

Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  also,  in  his  Commentary  on  the  Book  of  Job,  frequent- 
ly mentions  Dr.  Good's  work,  and  uniformly  with  high  respect.  "  Mr. 
Good  (says  he)  is  a  gentleman  of  great  knowledge,  great  learning,  and 
correct  thinking  ;  and  whatever  lie  says  or  writes  is  entitled  to  respect.  If 
he  have  data,  his  conclusions  are  most  generally  consecutive  and  solid." 

t  Dr.  Hales  fixes  the  'time  of  Job's  trial,  at  about  184  years  before  the 
birth  of  Abraham,  and  689  before  the  Exodus  from  Egypt. 


130  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

"  The  natural  division,  and  that  which  was  unques- 
tionably intended  by  its  author,  is  into  six  parts  or  books  ; 
for  in  this  order  it  still  continues  to  run,  notwithstanding 
all  the  confusion  it  has  encountered  by  sub-arrange- 
ments. These  six  parts  are,  an  opening  or  exordium, 
containing  the  introductory  history  and  decree  concern- 
ing Job — three  distinct  series  of  arguments,  in  each  of 
which  the  speakers  are  regularly  allotted  their  respective 
turns — the  summing  up  of  the  controversy — and  the  close 
or  catastrophe,  consisting  of  the  suffering  hero's  grand  and 
glorious  acquittal,  and  restoration  to  prosperity  and  hap- 
piness. Under  this  view  of  it,  I  shall  proceed  to  offer  the 
following  analysis : 

"  Part  I.  constituting  the  opening  or  exordium,  com- 
prises the  first  two  chapters  in  the  ordinary  division,  and 
is  full  of  incident  and  transition.  It  commences  with  a 
brief  narrative  of  the  principal  personage  of  the  piece,  his 
place  of  residence,  rank  in  life,  and  inflexible  integrity. 
It  then  suddenly  changes  to  a  scene  so  transcendently  lofty 
and  magnificent,  that  the  grandest  descriptions  of  the 
most  daring  poets  sink  before  it ;  and  nothing  can  be  put 
in  comparison  with  it,  but  a  few  passages  in  Paradise 
Lost,  derived  from  the  same  source.  The  tribunal  of  the 
Almighty  is  unveiled — the  hosts  of  good  and  evil  spirits, 
in  obedience  to  his  summons,  present  themselves  before 
him,  to  give  an  account  of  their  conduct.  The  views  of 
Satan  are  particularly  inquired  into  :  and  the  unswerving 
fidelity  of  Job,  though  a  mortal,  is  pointedly  held  up  to 
him,  and  extolled.  The  evil  spirit  insinuates  that  Job  is 
only  faithful  because  it  is  his  interest  to  be  faithful ;  that 
he  serves  his  Creator  because  he  has  been  peculiarly  pro- 
tected and  prospered  by  him ;  and  that  he  would  abandon 
his  integrity,  the  moment  such  protection  should  be  with- 
drawn. To  confound  him  in  so  malicious  an  imputation, 
the  Almighty  delivers  Job  into  his  hands,  only  forbidding 
him  to  touch  his  person. 

"  Satan  departs  from  the  celestial  tribunal ;  and,  col- 
lecting the  fury  of  his  vindictive  power  into  one  tremen- 
dous assault,  strips  the  righteous  patriarch,  by  the  con- 
joint aid  of  hostile  incursions,  thunder-storms,  and  whirl- 
winds, on  one  and  the  same  day,  and  that  a  day  of  do- 
mestic rejoicing,  of  the  whole  of  his  property  and  of  his 


DR.  MASON   GOOD.  131 

family,  despatching  messenger  after  messenger  with  a 
separate  tale  of  woe,  till  the  whole  tragedy  is  completed. 
But  the  patriarch  continues  inflexible.  He  feels  bitterly, 
but  he  sins  not,  even  in  his  heart — instead  of  murmuring 
against  his  Creator, 

Job  arose,  and  rent  his  mantle,  and  shaved  his  head, 
And  fell  on  the  ground,  and  -WORSHIPPED,  and  sa,id, 
"INaked  came  I  forth  from  my  mother's  womb, 
And  naked  shall  I  return  thither  ! 
Jehovah  giveth,  and  Jehovah  taketh  away  ; 
BLESSED  be  the  name  of  Jehovah!" 

"  The  celestial  session  returns.  The  supreme  Creator 
again  assumes  the  judgment-seat ;  and  the  hosts  of  good 
and  evil  spirits  are  once  more  arranged  before  him,  for 
his  commands.  The  unswerving  fidelity  of  Job  is  again 
pointed  out  to  Satan,  and  the  futility  of  his  malice  public- 
ly exposed.  The  evil  spirit,  though  foiled,  still  continues 
unabashed,  and  insinuates  that  he  had  no  liberty  to  touch 
his  person.  The  Almighty  surrenders  his  person  into  his 
hands,  and  only  commands  him  to  spare  his  life. 

"'Satan  departs  from  the  presence  of  Jehovah  : — and  in 
the  same  moment  Job  is  smote  from  head  to  foot  with  a 
burning  leprosy ;  and  while  agonized  with  this  fresh  af- 
fliction, is  tauntingly  upbraided  by  his  wife  with  the  inu- 
tility  of  all  his  religious  services.  The  goad  passes  into 
his  soul,  but  it  does  not  poison  it.  He  resists  this  addi- 
tional attack  with  a  dignity  as  well  as  a  firmness  of  faith 
that  does  honor  to  human  nature  : 

As  the  talk  of  one  of  the  foolish,  is  thy  talk. 
Shall  we  then  accept  good  from  God, 
And  shall  we  not  accept  evil  ? 

"  The  part  closes  with  what  is  designed  to  introduce 
the  main  subject  of  the  poem — a  preconcerted  visit  to  the 
suffering  patriarch  of  three  of  his  most  intimate  friends. 
And  in  the  simple  narrative  of  their  first  seeing  him, 
there  is  a  pathos  that  beggars  all  description,  and  which 
cannot  fail  to  strike  home  to  every  bosom  that  is  capable 
of  feeling: 


132  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

For  they  had  appointed  together  to  come, 

To  mourn  with  him,  and  to  comfort  him, — 

And  they  lift  up  their  eyes  from  afar,  and  knew  him  not : 

And  they  raised  their  voices  and  wept ; 

And  rent  every  one  his  mantle  ; 

And  cast  dust  upon  their  heads,  towards  heaven. 

And  they  sat  down  with  him,  on  the  ground, 

Seven  days  and  seven  nights  : 

And  no  one  spake  to  him  a  word, 

For  they  saw  that  the  affliction  raged  sorely. 

"  This  part  is  peculiarly  distinguished  by  simplicity, 
sublimity,  and  fine  feeling.  In  its  diction  it  exhibits  a 
perfect  contrast  to  that  of  the  great  body  of  the  poem  ; 
and,  in  conjunction  with  the  diction  that  follows,  affords 
proof  of  a  complete  mastery  of  style  and  language  ;  a 
mastery  unequalled,  perhaps,  in  any  other  part  of  the 
Hebrew  Scriptures,  and  altogether  unknown  to  every 
other  kind  of  Oriental  composition.  It  is  characteristic, 
however,  of  the  writer  of  this  transcendent  poem, — a  fact 
well  worthy  of  being  remembered,  as  one  mean  of  deter- 
mining who  he  was, — that  he  uniformly  suits  his  orna- 
ments to  the  occasion  ;  that,  as  though  influenced  by  the 
rules  of  the  best  Greek  critics,  he  seldom  employs  a  figu- 
rative style  where  the  incident  or  the  passion  is  capable  of 
supporting  itself,*  and  reserves  his  boldest  images  and 
illustrations  for  cases  that  seem  most  to  require  them. 

"  Part  II.  extends  from  the  beginning  of  the  third  to 
the  end  of  the  fourteenth  chapter  ;  and  comprises  the 
first  colloquy,  or  series  of  argument.  Job,  completely 
overwhelmed,  and  believing  himself  abandoned  by  his 
Creator,  gives  a  loose  to  all  the  wildness  of  despondency  ; 
and,  in  an  address  of  exquisite  force  and  feeling,  laments 
that  he  ever  beheld  the  light,  and  calls  earnestly  for  death, 
as  the  only  refuge  of  the  miserable.  This  burst  of  agony 
is  filled  with  the  boldest  images  and  imprecations ;  and 
might,  perhaps,  be  thought  in  some  parts  of  it,  too  daring, 
but  that  it  appears  to  have  been  regarded  as  a  master- 
piece by  the  best  poets  of  Judaea,  and  is  imitated,  in  its 
boldest  flights,  by  king  David,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and 

*  This  is  just  as  obvious  in  the  description  of  the  apparition,  chap.  iv.  12 
— 16,  as  in  the  present  part :  and  other  passages  will  readily  occur  to  the 
recollection  of  the  reader. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD,  133 

Ezekiel  ;  of  which  the  reader  will  meet  with  sufficient 
specimens  in  the  notes  to  this  volume. 

"  To  this  cry  of  despondency,  Eliphaz  ventures  upon 
the  first  reply  :  and  the  little  that  was  wanting  to  make 
the  cup  of  agony  brim-full,  is  now  added  to  it.  The 
patriarch's  friends,  stimulated  unquestionably  by  the 
secret  impulse  of  Satan,  have  agreed  upon  the  false  prin- 
ciple, that  in  the  uniform  dealings  of  Providence,  happi- 
ness and  prosperity  are  the  necessary  marks  and  conse- 
quence of  integrity,  and  pain  and  misery  of  wickedness — 
and  hence  the  grand  argument  on  their  part  consists, 
first,  in  charging  the  sufferer  with  the  commission  of  sins 
which  he  ought  to  confess  and  repent  of;  and  next,  in 
accusing  him  of  pride  and  hypocrisy,  because  he  will  not 
consent  to  such  confession.  Eliphaz,  however,  is,  from 
natural  habit,  the  mildest  of  the  accusers;  and  his  speech 
begins  with  delicacy,  and  is  conducted  with  the  most 
artful  address.  After  duly  apologizing  for  breaking  in 
upon  the  sufferings  of  his  friend,  he  proceeds  to  point  out 
the  inconsistency  of  a  good  man's  repining  under  a  state 
of  discipline  ;  and  the  absurdity  of  his  not  bearing  up, 
who  had  so  often  exhorted  others  to  fortitude.  He  re- 
marks, that  the  truly  good  are  never  utterly  overthrown  ; 
but  that  the  ways  of  Providence  are  wrapped  in  inextri- 
cable mystery,  and  that  nothing  can  be  more  arrogant 
than  for  so  weak,  so  ephemeral,  so  insect-like  a  being  as 
man  is,  to  impeach  them;  a  position  which  is  illustrated 
by  the  most  powerful  picture  of  an  apparition  that  ever 
was  drawn  by  the  pen  of  any  writer  in  any  age  or  coun- 
try,— disclosed  to  the  speaker  for  the  express  purpose  of 
inculcating  this  solemn  maxim.  He  concludes  with  ob- 
serving, that  as  neither  man  nor  angel,  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  Almighty,  can  render  Job  any  assistance, 
wrath  and  violence  are  folly ;  and  that  nothing  remains 
for  him,  but  to  seek  unto  God,  and  commit  the  cause  into 
his  hands ;  whose  correction  will  then  be  assuredly  suc- 
ceeded by  a  new  series  of  happiness  and  prosperity. 

"  Job  replies  to  Eliphaz,  but  is  overborne  by  the  bit- 
terness of  his  remonstrance  ;  and  under  his  accumulated 
trials  once  more  wishes  to  die.  He  reproaches  his 
friends  for  their  severity  ;  and,  in  a  most  beautiful  and 
appropriate  simile,  compares  the  consolation  he  expected 
12 


134  ACCOUNT    OP   THE    WORKS    OF 

from  their  soothing  intercourse,  and  the  cruel  disappoint- 
ment he  met  with,  to  the  promise  of  a  plentiful  supply  of 
water  held  out  to  a  parched-up  caravan,  by  the  fall  of 
floods  of  rain,  surveyed  at  a  distance,  but  which,  on  arriv- 
ing at  the  place  of  their  descent,  are  found  to  have  entire- 
ly evaporated,  or  to  have  branched  out  over  the  sands, 
and  become  lost. 

What  time  they  wax  warm,  they  evaporate  ; 

And  when  it  grows  hot  they  are  dried  up  in  their  place  : 

The  outlets  of  their  channel  wind  about, 

They  stretch  into  nothing,  and  are  lost. 

The  companies  of  Tema  search  earnestly, 

The  caravans  of  Sheba  pant  for  them  : 

They  are  consumed — such  is  their  longing  ; 

They  arrive  at  the  place,  and  sink  away. — 

Behold  !  ye  also  are  as  nothing  ; 

Yc  see  mydowncasting,  and  shrink  back. 

"Suddenly  he  feels  he  has  been  too  acrimonious; 
apologizes,  and  entreats  their  further  attention  ;  but  is 
instantly  hurried  away  by  a  torrent  of  opposite  passions ; 
now,  once  more  longing  for  death  as  the  termination  of 
his  sufferings,  and  now  urged  on  by  the  natural  desire  of 
life.  He  expostulates  warmly,  and  at  length  unbecom- 
ingly, with  the  Almighty  ;  and  at  once  growing  sensi- 
ble of  the  irreverence,  humbly  confesses  his  offence,  sup- 
plicates forgiveness,  and  implores  that  his  affliction  may 
cease. 

"  It  is  now  Bildad's  turn  to  speak ;  who  commences 
with  bitter  and  most  provoking  cruelty.  He  openly 
charges  the  whole  family  of  Job  with  gross  wickedness, 
on  no  other  ground  than  their  destruction  by  the  whirl- 
wind ;  and  throws  suspicions  against  the  patriarch  him- 
self, in  consequence  of  his  being  a  sufferer  in  the  calam- 
ity. Like  Eliphaz,  he  also  exhorts  him  to  repent,  and  to 
look  to  God  for  a  restoration  to  prosperity,  and  never 
more  to  depend  on  himself — observing,  in  the  language  of 
an  apt  and  exquisite  proverbial  saying  of  the  long-lived, 
perhaps  the  antediluvian  ages  that  the  most  succulent 
plants  are  soonest  withered,  and  that  the  reliance  of  the 
hypocrite  is  a  cobweb. 

"  Job,  in  the  beginning  of  his  reply  to  this  speech, 
shews  that  he  has  once  more  recovered  himself,  and  is 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  135 

superior  to  the  acrimony  of  its  assault.  He  acknowl- 
edges that  all  power  is  with  God,  who  alone  has  created 
whatever  exists  ;  but  maintains,  that,  as  to  his  moral  gov- 
ernment, we  are  grossly  ignorant,  and  can  account  for 
nothing  that  takes  place  ;  and  that  the  good  and  the  wick- 
ed suffer  indiscriminately.  At  one  moment,  under  the 
influence  of  acute  agony,  he  longs  earnestly  to  plead  his 
cause  with  God,  and  to  defend  his  habitual  integrity  ;  but 
awed  suddenly  by  new  ideas  of  the  divine  power  and 
purity,  and  aware  that  from  both  causes  he  must  be  over- 
whelmed, he  shrinks  from  so  daring  a  task  ;  and  con- 
cludes with  an  affecting  address  to  the  Almighty,  in 
which  he  ventures  to  expostulate  with  him,  as  his  crea- 
tor and  preserver.  He  grows  warmer  as  he  proceeds ;  is 
roused  to  desperation  at  the  thought  that  God  is  become 
his  enemy  and  persecutor  ;  and  once  more  vehemently 
calls  for  a  termination  of  his  miseries  by  death. 

"  Zophar  now  takes  his  turn  in  the  argument ;  and 
commences,  like  Bildad,  with  violent  and  rough  invec- 
tive. He  condemns  Job  severely,  for  continuing  to  as- 
sert his  innocence  before  God.  He  contends,  that  the 
ways  of  Providence  are  obvious,  and  that  it  is  only  his 
own  iniquity  that  makes  them  appear  dark  and  mysteri- 
ous. Like  the  preceding  speakers,  he  exhorts  him,  m 
fine  and  figurative  language,  to  '  put  away  his  iniquity/ 
and  lift  up  his  hands  to  the  Almighty  ;  and  promises  that 
he  shall  then  soon  lose  all  trace  of  his  present  calamity, — 

"  As  waters  passed  by,  shall  thou  remember  it," 

and  that  his  late  prosperity  and  happiness  shall  be  re- 
doubled upon  him.  But  if  not,  he  denounces  his  utter 
and  irremediable  ruin. 

"  Job  is  stimulated  by  this  repetition  of  so  unjust  and 
opprobrious  an  accusation,  and  for  the  first  time  vents  a 
sarcasm  on  his  part.  In  return  for  the  proverbial  sayings 
of  his  companions,  he  retorts  upon  them  sayings  of  a  simi- 
lar kind,  many  of  them  possessed  of  far  more  force  and 
appropriation.  He  then  commences  a  direct  attack  upon 
their  own  conduct ;  and  charges  them  with  declaiming 
on  the  part  of  God,  from  the  base  and  unworthy  hope  of 
propitiating  him.  He  grows  still  warmer  as  he  advances; 
and  under  a  consciousness  of  general  innocence,  de- 


136  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

mands  to  be  put  to  the  bar,  and  to  stand  his  trial  with 
the  Almighty  :  he  boldly  summons  his  accusers,  entreats 
the  Supreme  Judge  not  to  overwhelm  him  with  his  power 
or  his  awfulness  ;  and,  realizing  the  tribunal  before  him, 
at  once  commences  his  pleading,  in  an  address  which, 
according  to  the  feeling  of  the  moment,  is  vehement, 
plaintive,  argumentative,  full  of  fear,  of  triumph,  of  expos- 
tulation, and  at  last  of  despondency ;  now  representing 
the  Creator,  in  all  his  might  and  supremacy,  as  demol- 
ishing a  driven  leaf,  and  hunting  down  parched  stubble  ; 
next  exhibiting  doubts  of  a  future  state  ;  then  exulting  in 
the  belief  of  it;  and,  finally,  sinking  into  utter  gloom  and 
hopelessness. 

"  Part  III.  comprises  the  second  series  of  controversy, 
and  extends  from  the  fifteenth  to  the  close  of  the  twenty- 
first  chapter.  Eliphaz  opens  the  discussion,  in  his  regu- 
lar turn  ;  he  accuses  Job  of  vehemence  and  vanity  ;  as- 
serts that  no  man  is  innocent ;  and  pointedly  observes  to 
him,  that,  in  regard  to  himself,  his  own  conduct  is  suffi- 
cient to  condemn  him  :  concluding  with  a  train  of  highly 
forcible  and  figurative  apophthegms  of  great  beauty  and 
antiquity,  calculated  to  prove  the  certain  and  irrevocable 
misery  of  the  wicked  and  unrepentant. 

"  Job  replies  to  him,  and  once  more  complains  bitterly 
of  the  reproaches  and  contumelies  so  unjustly  heaped 
upon  him,  but  consoles  himself  in  again  appealing  to  the 
Almighty,  upon  the  subject  of  his  innocence.  He  ac- 
cuses his  companions  of  holding  him  up  to  public  deri- 
sion, and  entreats  them  to  leave  him,  and  return  home  : 
he  again  pathetically  bemoans  his  lot  and  looks  forward 
to  the  grave  with  scarcely  a  glimmering  of  hope,  and  an 
almost  utter  despair  of  a  resurrection  from  its  ruins. 

"  Bildad  next  enters  into  the  debate  with  his  charac- 
teristic virulence  and  violence,  at  the  same  time  exhorting 
Job  to  be  temperate.  The  whole  speech  is  a  string  of 
generalities,  and  parabolic  traditions  of  the  first  ages 
concerning  the  fearful  punishments  in  reserve  for  the 
wicked  ;  all  exquisitely  sublime  and  beautiful  in  them- 
selves, but  possessing  no  other  relevancy  to  the  present 
case,  than  that  which  results  from  the  false  argument, 
that  Job  must  be  a  great  sinner  because  he  is  a  great 
sufferer. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  137 

"  The  reply  of  the  patriarch  to  this  contumelious 
tirade,  contained  in  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  the  common 
division,  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  parts  of  the  whole 
poem,  and  exhibits  a  wonderful  intermixture  of  tender- 
ness and  triumph.  It  commences  with  a  fresh  complaint 
of  the  cruelty  of  his  assailants.  The  meek  sufferer  still 
calls  them  his  friends  ;  and  in  a  most  touching  apostrophe 
implores  their  pity  in  his  deep  affliction.  He  takes  an 
affecting  survey  of  his  hopeless  situation,  as  assaulted 
and  broken  down  by  the  Almighty  for  purposes  altogether 
mysterious  and  unknown  to  him  ;  and  then  suddenly,  as 
though  a  ray  of  divine  light  and  comfort  had  darted  across 
his  soul,  rises  into  the  full  hope  of  a  future  resurrection 
and  vindication  of  his  innocence  ;  and,  in  the  triumph  of 
so  glorious  an  expectation,  appears  to  forget  his  present 
wretchedness  and  misery. 

"  Zophar  now  takes  the  leadr  but  merely  to  recapitu- 
late the  old  argument  under  a  new  form.  Job  has  not 
yet  confessed  the  heinous  sins  for  which  he  is  suffering ; 
and  hence,  in  bold  and  terrific  pictures,  chiefly,  as  on 
many  preceding  occasions,  derived  from  the  lofty  say- 
ings of  ancient  times,  he  alarms  him  with  the  various 
punishments  reserved  for  the  impenitent. 

Job,  in  answer  to  Zophar,  appears  to  collect  his  whole 
strength  of  argument,  as  though  resolved  at  one  and  the 
same  time  to  answer  all  that  has  been  advanced  upon  the 
subject  by  each  of  his  opponents.  He  boldly  controverts 
their  principle,  that  present  prosperity  is  the  lot  of  the 
good,  and  present  misery  that  of  the  wicked.  He  asserts, 
even  while  trembling  at  the  thought  of  so  mysterious  a 
providence,  that  here  the  reprobate,  instead  of  the  right- 
eous, are  chiefly  triumphant — that  this  is  their  world — that 
they  riot  in  it  unrestrained,  and  take  their  full  of  enjoy- 
ment. They  may,  perhaps,  continues  he,  be  reserved 
against  a  day  of  future  judgment  and  retribution  ;  but 
where  is  the  man  that  dares  attack  their  conduct  to  their 
face  1  who  is  there  that  does  not  fall  prostrate  before  their 
power  and  overwhelming  influence  ?  even  in  death  itself 
they  are  publicly  bemoaned,  and  every  individual  at- 
tends upon  their  obsequies. — Thus  concludes  the  third 
part  of  the  poem  ;  and  it  could  not  possibly  conclude 
better. 


138  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

"  Part  IV.  comprises  the  third  and  last  series  of  con- 
troversy, and  reaches  from  the  twenty-second  to  the  close 
of  the  thirty-first  chapter.  Eliphaz,  as  usual,  commen- 
ces ;  and  roused  by  the  cogent  and  argumentative  elo- 
quence of  the  preceding  speech,  is  himself  incited  to  a 
stricter  and  closer  discussion  of  the  subject  than  he  had 
hitherto  aimed  at ;  and  pours  forth  his  whole  spirit  into 
one  grand  effort  of  confutation.  His  argument  is  full  of 
art,  but  it  is,  in  a  great  degree,  the  art  of  the  sophist. 
He  charges  Job,  in  spite  of  his  own  guarded  declarations 
to  the  contrary,  with  being  an  advocate  for  the  wicked, 
by  connecting  wickedness  and  prosperity  in  the  manner 
of  cause  and  effect ;  and  of  course  as  being,  in  his 
heart  and  propensities,  a  party  to  all  the  iniquities  of  the 
antediluvians,  that  brought  the  deluge  upon  the  world. 
With  the  most  accomplished  subtilty,  he  dwells  upon  this 
signal  judgment,  for  the  purpose  of  adverting  to  the  single 
delivery  of  the  family  of  righteous  Noah,  their  great  pro- 
genitor, as  a  proof  that  God  neither  does  nor  will  suf- 
fer the  wicked  to  escape  punishment,  nor  the  righteous  to 
pass  without  reward.  In  addition  to  which,  he  proceeds 
also  to  instance  the  striking  rescue  of  Lot  and  his  family 
from  the  conflagration  that  devoured  the  cities  on  the 
plains  ;  thus  sophistically  opposing  two  special  and  mirac- 
ulous interpositions  to  the  general  course  of  divine  provi- 
dence. He  concludes,  as  on  various  former  occasions, 
with  exhorting  Job  to  confess  and  abandon  his  inquities  ; 
and  beautifully  depicts,  in  new  and  forcible  imagery,  the 
happiness  that  he  will  then  find  in  reserve  for  him. 

"The  placid  sufferer  does  not  allow  himself  to  be 
turned  off  his  guard.  In  his  rejoinder,  he  again  bemoans 
the  mercilessness  of  those  around  him,  and  once  more 
longs  earnestly  to  find  out  and  plead  before  the  Almighty. 
But  all  around  him,  he  observes,  is  gloom  and  obscurity 
yet,  gloom  and  obscurity  as  it  is,  he  still  beholds  him  in  na- 
ture, and  in  every  part  of  nature  ;  and,  in  direct  opposition 
to  the  opinion  of  his  companions,  doubts  not  that  the  pre- 
sent affliction  is  dealt  to  him  as  a  trial ;  and  rejoicing  in  the 
recollection  of  his  past  submission  to  the  divine  will,  ven- 
tures to  hope  he  shall  yet  issue  from  it  as  pure  gold.  He 
then  returns  to  the  argument,  and  perseveres,  to  the  silen- 
cing, if  not  to  the  conviction,  of  his  opponents.  He  shews, 


DR.   MASON  GO01>.  13iJ 

from  a  multiplicity  of  examples,  drawn  both  from  the  pri- 
vacy of  retired  life  and  the  publicity  of  crowded  cities,  that 
everything  is  suffered  to  take  place  at  present  in  a  mys- 
terious and  unexplained  manner  ;  that,  admitting  a  variety 
of  exceptions,  the  wicked  are  still  generally  successful,  and 
prosecute  their  course  uncontrolled  ;  that  even  the  un- 
sinning  embryon  in  the  womb  expires,  not  unfrequently, 
as  soon  as  created,  as  though  neglected  or  despised  by 
its  Maker ;  and  that  the  lonely  widow  is,  in  like  manner, 
left  to  pine  in  want  and  misery.  He  allows,  nevertheless, 
that  nothing  can  be  more  precarious  than  the  pleasures 
and  prosperity  of  vice  ;  that  God  has  his  eye  at  all  times 
upon  the  wicked  ;  and  that  often,  though  not  generally, 
they  are  overthrown  in  a  moment,  and  reduced,  from  the 
utmost  height  of  splendor,  to  the  lowest  abyss  of  beggary 
arid  ruin. 

"  Bildad,  to  whom  it  belongs  next  to  reply,  is  com- 
pletely confounded.  He  is  compelled  to  admit  that  the 
present  state  of  things  proves  the  Deity  to  work  with 
absolute  sway,  and  in  an  incomprehensible  manner.  But, 
though  driven  from  his  former  position,  he  still  main- 
tains that  Job  must  be  wicked,  since  every  man  is  wicked 
and  altogether  worthless  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  all  which, 
in  order  to  give  the  greater  weight  to  his  observations,  he 
confirms,  by  delivering  them  in  the  words  of  ancient  and 
proverbial  maxims. 

"  Job,  in  reply  to  Bildad,  is  indignant  at  his  not  openly 
retracting  an  opinion  which,  it  was  obvious,  he  could  no 
longer  maintain.  He  is  particularly  irritated  at  his  pre- 
tending once  more  to  quote  the  proverbial  maxims  of  past 
times,  as  though  to  enlist  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients 
against  him ;  and  sarcastically  follows  him  up  by  a  string 
of  other  traditions  of  a  similar  kind,  possessing  still  more 
magnificence,  and  at  least  as  much  general  connexion. 
And,  having  thus  severely  reproved  him,  he  returns  to 
the  argument,  in  chap,  xxvii.  and  asserts  that,  distressed 
as  he  is,  and  forsaken  of  God,  habitual  innocency  has 
ever  belonged  to  him,  and  ever  shall ;  and  on  this  very 
account  he  secretly  encourages  a  hope  that  he  shall  not 
be  ultimately  forsaken  ;  and  forcibly  points  out  the  very 
different  situation  of  the  wicked  when  they  also  are  over- 
taken by  calamity  ;  their  ruin  being,  on  the  contrary, 


140  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

utter  and  irreversible,  and  even  entailed  on  their  poster- 
ity. Under  the  disappointment  their  visit  had  produced, 
and  the  proofs  of  feebleness  and  folly  it  had  exhibited 
where  wisdom  and  consolation  were  to  have  been  ex- 
pected, he  proceeds  to  a  highly  figurative  and  exquisite 
description  of  the  value  of  genuine  wisdom,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  searching  out  its  habitation;  concluding,  as  the 
result  of  his  inquiry,  that  it  alone  resides  in  and  issues 
from  the  Creator,  and  is  only  bestowed  upon  those  who 
sincerely  fear  him  and  depart  from  evil.  He  closes  with 
a  detailed  and  deeply  interesting  examination  into  every 
department  of  his  life, — an  examination  that  ought  to  be 
studied  and  copied  by  every  one.  He  investigates  his 
conduct  in  the  full  sunshine  of  prosperity,  as  a  magistrate, 
as  a  husband,  as  a  father,  as  a  master  ;  and,  in  all  these 
characters,  he  feels  capable  of  conscientiously  justifying 
himself.  In  the  course  of  this  historical  scrutiny,  he 
draws  a  very  affecting  contrast  between  his  past  and  his 
present  situation ;  the  period  in  which  all  was  happiness 
and  splendor,  and  that  in  which  all  is  trouble  and  humi- 
liation. He  challenges  his  companions,  and  the  world  at 
large,  to  accuse  him  publicly  and  expressly  of  a  single  act 
of  injustice  or  oppression ;  declares  that,  so  far  from 
shrinking  from  such  an  accusation,  he  would  wear  it  as  a 
frontlet  upon  his  shoulder  and  his  turban ;  that,  like  a 
witness  on  the  side  of  his  accuser,  he  would  furnish  him 
with  all  the  evidence  in  his  power  ;  and  pants  earnestly 
to  be  put  to  the  bar,  and  abide  the  decision  of  his 
country. 

"  Zophar  should  now  have  replied  in  rotation  ;  but  he 
has  already  exhausted  himself — and  the  argument  closes. 

"  Part  V.  contains  the  summing  up  of  the  controversy  ; 
which  is  allotted  to  Elihu,  a  new  character  in  the  poem  ; 
but  who,  though  hitherto  unnoticed,  appears  to  have  en- 
tered before  the  commencement  of  the  debate,  and  to 
have  impartially  studied  its  progress.  The  speech  of 
Elihu  commences  with  the  thirty-second  chapter  of  the 
common  arrangement,  which  constitutes  its  peroration, 
and  offers  a  fine  specimen  of  the  art  of  bespeaking  and 
fixing  attention.  He  first  adverts  to  the  general  irrele- 
vancy of  the  matter  that  has  been  advanced  against  Job 
from  every  quarter  by  which  he  has  been  attacked,  and 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  141 

then  proceeds  to  comment  upon  the  patriarch  himself. 
Tacitly  admitting  the  general  force  of  the  reasoning  by 
which  he  had  confounded  his  opponents,  Elihu  nowhere 
charges  him  with  former  wickedness  because  of  his  pres- 
ent affliction  ;  but  confines  himself  to  his  actual  conduct, 
and  the  tendency  of  his  replies  on  the  existing  occasion, 
both  of  which  he  reprehends  with  considerable  warmth. 
In  various  instances  he  repeats  his  words  literally,  and 
animadverts  upon  them  as  highly  irreverent ;  and  ob- 
serves, that  the  dispensations  of  Providence,  dark  and 
mysterious  as  they  commonly  appear  to  us,  are  always 
full  of  wisdom  and  mercy,  and  that  in  many  cases  we  are 
made  sensible  of  this  even  at  this  moment ;  being  fre- 
quently, by  such  means,  warned  and  reclaimed,  some- 
times publicly,  but  still  oftener  in  secret,  through  the  me- 
dium of  dreams,  diseases,  or  other  providential  inter- 
ferences. 

"  In  chap,  xxxiv.  he  attacks  the  position  of  Job,  that 
the  present  world  is  the  portion  of  the  wicked,  and  that 
here  prosperity  is  more  frequently  their  lot  than  that  of 
the  righteous ;  and,  with  some  degree  of  sophistry  and 
disingenuity,  turns,  like  Eliphaz,  this  position  of  the  pa- 
triarch into  a  declaration  that  he  approves  of  the  ways  of 
wickedness  as  a  mean  of  prosperity,  and  has  no  desire 
to  be  righteous,  unless  where  righteousness  has  a  like 
chance  of  advancing  his  worldly  views.  Upon  this  point 
he  attacks  him  with  great  severity  ;  and  in  general  terms, 
and  general  but  beautiful  and  highly  figurative  descrip- 
tions, adverts  to  the  frequent  and  visible  interferences  of 
the  Almighty  to  relieve  the  poor  and  the  oppressed,  and 
to  hurl  down  the  tyrant  and  the  reprobate.  He  next  ex- 
horts Job  to  relinquish  his  present  sentiments,  and  to  con- 
fess his  transgressions,  in  full  confidence  of  a  return  of 
the  divine  favor.  Submission  he  asserts  (chap,  xxxv.)  to 
be  the  only  duty  of  man,  and  the  wisest  course  he  can 
pursue  ;  that  God  can  derive  neither  advantage  from  his 
obedience  nor  disadvantage  from  his  rebellion  ;  that  man 
alone  can  profit  from  the  one,  and  suffer  from  the  other; 
and  that,  had  Job  suffered  more,  he  would  have  disputed 
less.  The  remainder  of  this  exquisite  oration  points  out, 
consecutively,  in  strong  and  glowing  language,  full  of 
sublimity  and  the  finest  painting,  that  God  is  supreme  ; 


142  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

that  he  is  all  in  all ;  and  that  everything  is  subject  to  him 
and  regulated  by  him,  and  regulated  in  wisdom,  goodness, 
and  justice  ;  that  hence,  instead  of  reviling,  it  becomes  us 
to  submit ;  that  the  worst  of  iniquities  is,  to  wish  for 
death,  in  order  to  escape  from  a  chastisement  we  are  en- 
during and  have  deserved  ;  and  that,  living  or  dying,  it  is 
in  vain  to  fly  from  the  Creator,  since  all  nature  was  form- 
ed by  him,  and  is  the  theatre  of  his  power.  The  speaker 
closes  with  a  lofty  and  transcendent  description  of  the 
might  and  wisdom  of  the  great  Maker,  in  the  works  and 
wonders  of  the  creation  ;  the  formation  of  rain,  thunder, 
lightning,  snow,  clouds,  clear  sky,  the  return  of  spring, 
and  the  general  revolution  of  the  seasons;  concerning  all 
which  we  know  nothing,  yet  the  whole  of  which  is  but  a 
faint  and  reflected  light  from  him  who  ordained  and  com- 
mands them  : 

Splendor  itself  is  with  God  ! 

Insufferable  majesty ! 

Almighty  !  we  cannot  comprehend  him — 

Surpassing  in  power  and  in  judgment ! 

Yet  doth  not  the  might  of  his  justice  oppress. 

Let  mankind,  therefore,  stand  in  awe  of  him  : 

He  looketh  all  the  wise  of  heart  to  nothing. 

"  Part  VI.  The  trial  of  faith,  resignation,  and  integrity, 
is  now  drawing  to  an  end.  The  opponents  of  Job,  and, 
through  them,  the  arch-demon  by  whom  they  were  excit- 
ed, have  been  baffled  in  their  utmost  exertions ;  yet, 
though  silenced,  they  still  sullenly  refuse  to  retract.  The 
Almighty  now  visibly  appears,  to  pronounce  judgment, 
and  '  speaks  to  Job  out  of  the  whirlwind  :'  and  the  address 
ascribed  to  him  is  a  most  astonishing  combination  of  dig- 
nity, sublimity,  grandeur,  and  condescension  ;  and  is  as 
worthy  of  the  magnificent  occasion,  as  anything  can  be, 
delivered  in  human  language. 

"  The  line  of  argument  pursued  in  the  course  of  this 
inimitable  address  is,  that  the  mighty  speaker  is  Lord  of 
all,  the  Creator  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  that 
everything  must  bow  down  before  him  ;  that  he  is  the 
God  of  providence  ;  and  that  everything  is  formed  by  him 
in  wisdom,  and  bespeaks  a  mean  to  an  end, — and  that 
end,  the  happiness  and  enjoyment  of  his  creatures.  In 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  143 

the  developement  of  this  reasoning,  the  formation  of  the 
world  is  first  brought  before  us,  and  described  in  lan- 
guage that  has  never  been  equalled — the  revolution  of 
the  heavenly  bodies — and  the  regular  return  of  the  sea- 
sons. The  argument  then  descends  from  so  overwhelm- 
ing a  magnificence,  and  confines  itself  to  phenomena  that 
are  more  immediately  within  the  scope  and  feeling  of 
the  sons  of  earth.  It  is  God  who  supplies  the  wants  of 
every  living  creature  :  it  is  he  who  finds  them  food  in 
rocks  and  wildernesses  ;  it  is  his  wisdom  that  has  adapted 
every  kind  to  its  own  habits  and  mode  of  being  ;  that  has 
given  cunning  where  cunning  is  necessary  ;  and,  where  un- 
necessary, has  withheld  it — that  has  endowed  with  rapidity 
of  foot,  or  of  wing,  where  such  qualities  are  found  needful ; 
and  where  might  is  demanded,  has  afforded  proofs  of 
a  might  the  most  terrible  and  irresistible.  The  whole  of 
which  is  exquisitely  illustrated  by  a  variety  of  distinct  in- 
stances, drawn  from  natural  history,  and  painted  to  the 
very  life  :  the  following  impressive  corollary  forming  the 
general  close  : — God  is  supreme,  and  must  be  bowed  to 
and  adored  :  his  wisdom  is  incomprehensible,  how  vain 
then  to  arraign  it  :  his  power  omnipotent,  how  absurd 
then  to  resist  it :  his  goodness  universal,  how  blind  then 
to  deny  it. 

"  This  awful  address  is  listened  to  with  fearful  convic- 
tion. The  humiliated  sufferer  confesses  the  folly  of  his 
arrogance  and  presumption,  and  abhors  himself  for  his 
conduct. 

"  The  peripetia,  or  revolution,  immediately  succeeds. 
The  self-abasement  of  Job  is  accepted;  his  three  friends 
are  severely  reprimanded  for  having  formed  a  dishonora- 
ble judgment  concerning  him,  and  having  taken  a  false 
and  narrow  view  of  the  providence  of  the  Almighty,  in 
contending  that  he  never  does  or  can  permit  trouble  but 
in  cases  of  wickedness  :  a  sacrifice  is  demanded  of  them, 
and  Job  is  appointed  to  be  their  intercessor  :  upon  the 
accomplishment  of  which,  the  severely  tried  patriarch  is 
restored  to  his  former  state  of  enjoyment,  and  his  prosper- 
ity is  in  every  instance  doubled."  p.  xli. 

To  this  masterly  and  often  impressive  summary,  I  feel 
that  I  ought  to  annex  the  author's  view  of  the  doctrines 
taught  in  the  book. 


144  ACCOUNT  or  THE  WORKS  OF 

"  If  we  ask,  What  is  the  ultimate  intention  of  the  book 
of  Job  ?  and  for  what  purpose  is  it  introduced  into  the 
Hebrew  and  Christian  canons  1  It  will  then  appear,  that 
it  is  for  the  purpose  of  making  those  canons  complete,  by 
uniting,  as  full  an  account  as  is  necessary  of  the  dispen- 
sation of  the  patriarchs,  with  the  two  dispensations  by 
which  it  was  progressively  succeeded.  It  will  be  seen, 
that  the  chief  doctrines  of  the  patriarchal  religion,  as  col- 
lected from  different  parts  of  the  poem,  were  as  follow  : 

I.  The  creation  of  the  world  by  one  supreme  and  eter- 
nal Intelligence,     chap,  xxxviii. — xli. 

II.  Its  regulation,  by  his  perpetual  and  superintending 
providence.   Passim. 

III.  The  intentions  of  his  providence  carried  into  effect 
by  the  ministration  of  a  heavenly  hierarchy,    chap.  i. 
6,  7;  iii.  18,  19;  v.  1. 

IV.  The  heavenly  hierarchy,  composed  of  various  ranks 
and  orders,  possessing   different    names,    dignities, 
and  offices,     chap.  iv.  18;  xxxiii.  22,23;  v.  2;  xv. 
15. 

V.  An  apostacy,  or  defection,  in  some  rank  or  order  of 
these  powers  :  of  which   Satan   seems  to   have  been 
one,  and  perhaps  chief,     chap.  iv.  18  ;  xv.  15  ;  i.  6 
—12;  ii.  2—7. 

VI.  The  good  and  evil  powers  or  principles,  equally  for- 
med by  the  Creator,  and  hence  equally  denominated 
"  sons  of  God,"  both  of  them  employed   by  him,  in 
the    administration    of  his    providence ;     and    both 
amenable  to  him  at  stated  courts,  held  for  the  pur- 
pose of  receiving    an   account   of  their    respective 
missions,     chap.  i.  6,  7  ;  ii.  1. 

VII.  A  day  of  future  resurrection,   judgment,   and  retri- 
bution,   to    all    mankind,     chap.    xiv.   13,    14,   15 ; 
xix.  25—29  ;  xxi.  30  ;  xxxi.  14. 

VIII.  The  propitiation  of  the  Creator,  in  the  case  of  hu- 
man transgressions,  by  sacrifices,  and  the  mediation 
and  intercession  of  a  righteous  person,     chap.  i.  5  ; 
xlii.  8,  9. 

"  Several  of  these  doctrines  are  more  clearly  developed 
than  others ;  yet,  I  think  there  are  sufficient  grounds  for 
deducing  the  whole  of  them."  p.  Ixv. 

"  It  is  curious  to  remark  the  different  ground  of  argu- 


• 

DR.  MASON  GOOD.  145 

ment  assumed  in  favor  of  a  future  state,  in  the  present 
poem, — and  hence,  perhaps,  by  the  patriarchal  times 
generally, — and  that  assumed  by  the  philosophers  of 
Greece  and  Rome,  who  assented  to  the  same  doctrine  ; 
the  former  appealing  alone  to  a  resurrection  of  the  body, 
and  appearing  to  have  no  idea  of  a  distinct  immortality  of 
the  soul  ;  and  the  latter  appealing  alone  to  a  distinct  im- 
mortality of  the  soul ;  and  appearing  to  have  no  idea  of 
a  resurrection  of  the  body.  It  remained  for  that  dispen- 
sation which  has  '  brought  LIFE  and  IMMORTALITY  to 
light,' — the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  the  real  nature 
of  the  soul, — to  reconcile  the  discrepancy,  and  to  give  to 
each  ground  of  argument  its  proper  force,  p.  Ixxxiv. 

In  the  main,  this  view  of  the  doctrines  exhibited  in  the 
book  of  Job,  has  been  allowed  to  be  correct.  Yet,  a 
qualification  or  two  seem  necessary  to  guard  the  young 
theological  student  from  mistake.  Dr.  Good  assumes, 
that  the  title  "sons  of  God"  is  given  in  the  Scriptures,  to 
evil  powers  or  principles,  as  well  as  good  ones.  But  this 
is  very  questionable.  Satan  is  stated  to  have  presented 
himself  among  the  sons  of  God,  but  that  circumstance 
does  not  constitute  him  one.  And,  although  it  cannot 
fairly  be  questioned  that  the  doctrine  of  a  celestial  hier- 
archy, composed  of  various  orders  of  angels,  is  taught  in 
Scripture  ;  still  it  may  be  doubted  whether  or  not  it  is 
fully  deducible  from  the  passages  cited  by  our  author. 
Leaving  these,  however,  as  in  some  measure  open  to  dis- 
cussion, the  other  particulars  remain  untouched  ;  and  it 
must  surely  impress  the  mind  of  a  reflecting  reader  with 
peculiar  force,  that  in  the  avowedly  oldest  book  in  the 
Jewish  canon,  doctrines  should  be  clearly  unfolded, 
which  Natural  Religion  in  its  brightest  epochs  never  at- 
tained ;  while  the  same  book  contains  indisputable  allu- 
sions to  two,  at  least,  of  the  characteristic  doctrines  of  the 
Christian  dispensation,  that  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
body,  and  that  of  a  Saviour  from  sin  and  its  conse- 
quences, who  is  unequivocally  designated  by  the  highest 
attributes  and  titles  of  Deity. 

Enough  having  now  been  said,  I  trust,  to  shew  that  our 
author's  Introductory  Dissertation  is  at  once  erudite  and 
instructive,  I  will  present  a  specimen  of  the  translation  ; 
13 


146  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  WORKS  OF 

which  shall  be  that  of  the  19th  chapter,  containing  the 
pious  patriarch's  noble  testimony  of  faith,  worthy  indeed 
to  be  engraven  "  on  the  rock  for  ever." 

JOB  xix. 

1.  Whereupon  Job  answered,  and  said, — 

2.  How  long  will  ye  afflict  my  soul, 
And  overwhelm  me  with  words  ? 

3.  These  ten  times  have  ye  reviled  me ; 
Ye  relax  not,  ye  press  forward  upon  me. 

4.  And  be  it,  indeed,  that  I  have  transgressed, 

That  my  transgression  hath  harbored  within  me, — 

5.  Will  YE,  then,  forsooth,  triumph  over  me, 
And  expose  co  myself  my  own  disgrace  ? 

C.  Know,  however,  that  God  hath  humiliated  me  ; 
And  that  his  toils  have  encompassed  me  about : 

7.  Behold  !  I  complain  of  the  wrong,  but  am  not  heard ; 
I  cry  aloud, — but  no  answer. 

8.  He  hath  fenced  up  my  way  so  that  I  cannot  go  forward, 
And  hath  set  darkness  in  my  paths. 

9.  He  hath  stript  me  of  my  glory, 

And  overturned  the  crown  on  my  head : 

10.  He  demolisheth  me  on  every  side — and  I  am  gone  ; 
And  he  uprooteth  my  hope  like  a  tree  : 

11.  Yea,  he  kindleth  his  fury  against  me, 
And  accounteth  me  to  him  as  his  enemy. 

12.  His  besiegers  advance  in  a  body, 
And  wheel  their  lines  around  me, 
And  encamp  about  my  dwelling. 

13.  My  brethren  hath  he  put  aloof  from  me, 
And  my  familiars  are  quite  estranged  ; 

14.  My  kinsfolk  have  forsaken  me, 
And  my  bosom  friends  forgotten  me. 

15.  The  sojourners  in  my  house, 

Yea,  my  own  maid-servants,  regard  me  as  a  stranger  ; 
I  am  reckoned  an  alien  in  their  eyes. 

16.  I  call  to  my  man-servant,  but  he  answereth  not, 
I  entreat  him  to  the  very  face. 

17.  My  breath  is  scattered  away  by  mv  wife, 

Though  I  implore  HER  by  the  offspring  of  my  own'loini. 

18.  Even  the  dependants  spurn  at  me  ; 
I  rise  up,  and  they  hoot  after  me. 

19.  All  my  familiar  friends  abhor  me  ; 

Even  they  whom  I  loved  are  turned  against  me. 

20.  My  bones  stick  out  through  my  skin  and  my  flesh  ; 
And  in  the  skin  of  my  teeth  am  I  dissolved. 

21.  Pity  me  !  pity  me  !  O  ye,  my  friends  ! 
For  the  hand  of  God  hath  smitten  me. — 

22.  Why,  like  God,  should  YE  persecute  me, 
And  not  rest  satisfied  with  my  flesh  .J 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  147 

23.  O  !  that  my  words  were  even  now  written  down  ; — 
O  !  that  they  were  engraven  on  a  table  ; 

24.  With  a  pen  of  iron,  upon  lead  ! — 

That  they  were  sculptur'd  in  a  rock  for  ever ! 

25.  For  "  I  know  that  my  REDEEMER  liveth, 
And  will  ascend  at  last  upon  the  enrth : 

26.  And,  after  the  DISEASE  hath  destroyed  my  skin, 
That,  in  my  flesh,  I  shall  see  God : 

27.  Whom  I  shall  see  for  myself, 

And  my  own  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another's, 
Though  my  reins  be  consumed  within  me." 

28.  Then  shall  ye  say,  "  How  did  we  persecute  him  !" 
When  the  root  of  the  matter  is  disclosed  concerning  me. 

29.  O,  tremble  for  yourselves  before  the  sword  ; 
For  fierce  is  the  vengeance  of  the  sword : 
Therefore  beware  ofits  judgment. 

Dr.  Good's  original  intention,  with  regard  to  the  book 
of  Job,  seems  to  have  been  to  present  a  literal  translation, 
and  one  in  heroic  verse,  in  opposite  pages  ;  as  he  had 
previously  done  with  respect  to  the  Song  of  Songs.  But 
.after  he  had  thus  versified  the  first  five  chapters,  he  re- 
linquished the  task ;  adding  to  his  specimen  a  note  ex- 
pressive of  his  inability  to  throw  "  the  many  and  exqui- 
site beauties  of  the  original,"  into  a  translation  in  modern 
"  measured  verse."  It  is  evident  that  at  the  time  of  this 
attempt,  he  had  not  seen  Mr.  Scott's  version.  A  com- 
parison of  the  two  may,  therefore,  gratify  the  inquisitive 
reader  :  and  I  cannot  present  a  better  than  is  supplied 
by  the  awful  description  of  the  vision  in  chapter  iv., 
where  the  midnight  darkness,  the  deathlike  silence,  the 
horror,  the  whirlwind  followed  by  a  sudden  stillness,  the 
burst  of  light  and  glory,  the  supernatural  voice,  each,  in 
its  degree,  contributes  to  the  production  of  one  of  the 
most  sublime  pictures  ever  sketched. 

MR.  SCOTT'S. 

But  hear  the  word  divine,  to  me  convey'd, 
Than  pearls  more  precious,  in  the  midnight  shade  ; 
Amidst  th'  emotions  which  from  visions  rise, 
When  more  than  nature's  sleep  seals  human  eyes. 
Fear  seiz'd  my  soul,  the  hand  of  horror  strook 
My  shudd'ring  flesh,  and  every  member  shook. 
For  a  strong  wind  with  rushing  fury  pass'd 
So  near,  so  loud,  blast  whirling  after  blast, 
That  my  hair  started  at  each  stifFning  pore, 
And  stood  erect.    At  one  the  wild  oproar 


148  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    AVORKS    OP 

Was  hush'd  ;  a  Presence  burst  upon  my  sight 
(I  saw  no  shape)  in  majesty  of  light : 
Voice  follow'd,  and  celestial  accents  broke, 
Which  in  these  terms  their  awl'ul  dictates  spoke  : 
"  Is  God  arraign'd  ?  absolv'd  man's  sinful  dust  ? 
Less  pure  his  Maker  ?  and  his  Judge  less  just  ? 
Lo,  he  discerns,  discern'd  by  him  alone, 
Spots  in  the  sanctities  around  his  throne  : 
Nor  trusts  his  noble  ministers  of  flame, 
To  yield  him  service  unalloy'd  with  blame. 
Yet,  innocent  of  blame  shall  man  be  found  ? 
Tenants  of  clay,  and  reptiles  of  the  ground  ? 
Crnsh'd  like  the  moth,  these  beings  of  a  day 
With  unregarded  waste  are  swept  away: 
Their  honors  perish,  and  themselves  descend 
Fools  to  the  grave,  and  thoughtless  of  their  end." 

DR.    GOOD'S. 

This,  too,  I've  seen,  this  witness'd  when  alone 

Breath'd  o'er  my  ears,  in  hollow,  whispering  tone. 

'Twas  midnight  deep — the  world  was  hush'd  to  rest, 

And  airy  visions  every  brain  possess'd  : 

O'er  all  my  frame  a  horror  crept  severe, 

An  ice  that  shiver'd  every  bone  with  fear  : 

Before  my  face  a  spirit  saw  I  swim — 

Erect  uprose  my  hair  o'er  every  limb  ; 

It  stood — the  spectre  stood — to  sight  display'd, 

Yet  trac'd  I  not  the  image  I  surveyed  : 

'Twas  silence  dead — no  breath  the  torpor  broke — 

When  thus  in  hollow  voice  the  vision  spoke  : 

"  Shall  man  his  Maker's  piercing  ken  endure  ? 

Before  his  God  shall  man  be  just  and  pure  ? 

Lo  !  his  own  servants  falter  in  his  eyes, 

His  trustiest  angels  are  not  always  wise. 

What  are  the  dwellers  then  in  tents  of  clay, 

Sprung  from  the  dust,  that  into  dust  decay  ? 

Before  the  moth  they  fail ;  with  easier  strife 

Beat  down  and  plunder'd  of  their  little  life  ; 

From  morn  to  noon  they  perish — to  the  ground 

Unnotic'd  drop,  and  quit  their  fluttering  round  ; 

Their  total  sum  of  wisdom,  when  they  die, 

An  empty  boast,  a  mockery  and  lie." 

The  "  critical  and  illustrative  notes"  subjoined  to  Dr. 
Good's  translation  of  Job,  occupy  490  closely  printed  pa- 
ges. As  might  be  expected,  they  evince  the  most  exten- 
sive reading,  and  the  author's  peculiar  facility  in  culling 
fruits  and  flowers  from  every  region,  and  presenting  them 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  149 

to  those  whom  he  wished  to  enrich  and  delight.  While, 
however,  they  exhibit  a  greater  share  of  his  characteris- 
tic excellences  than  some  of  his  former  publications, 
they  are  not  free  from  defects,  of  which,  that  which  a  cir- 
cumspect reader  most  regrets  to  see,  is  the  author's 
proneness  to  give  the  reins  to  his  imagination.  Still 
these  notes,  many  of  which  are  strictly  theological,  while 
others,  whether  critical,  poetical,  geological,  or  philo- 
sophical, are  as  strictly  elucidatory,  cannot  but  be  read 
with  advantage  by  the  biblical  student.*  My  own 
total  ignorance  of  the  Hebrew  language,  incapacitates 
me  from  offering  any  judgment  upon  the  correctness 
of  the  translation.  To  me,  it  has  always  appeared 
somewhat  stiff  and  technical  ;  while  I  have  been  inclin- 
ed to  regard  the  notes  as  too  numerous.  On  my  once 
hinting  at  these  defects  to  the  author,  in  the  frankness  of 
friendship,  he  acknowledged  the  justice  of  my  remarks, 
and  said  he  should  hope,  in  a  new  edition,  to  give  great- 
er freedom  to  some  parts  of  the  translation,  without 
impairing  its  general  accuracy  :  and  that  he  should  prob- 
ably strike  out  nearly  all  the  notes,  except  those  that 
were  written  to  justify  his  deviations  from  the  authorized 
version.  I  ought,  perhaps,  to  say,  in  addition  to  the  sen- 
timents of  Drs.  Smith  and  Clarke,  already  quoted,  that, 
on  my  soliciting  the  opinion  of  a  very  profound  Hebrew 
scholar,  as  to  this  translation  and  the  notes,  be  replied, 
"  The  notes  are  more  numerous  than  was  necessary  ;  but 
still  the  work  is  truly  valuable,  and  it  is  the  farthest  pos- 
sible from  dry.  I  need  not  dwell  upon  specific  differ- 
ences ;  but  in  point  of  real  utility  to  the  theological  stu- 
dent, I  class  together  Lowth,  Blayney,  and  Good." 

*  The  author's  notes  on  the  Behemoth  and  the  Leviatlian,  I  much  regret 
my  want  of  room  to  insert.  He  proves,  in  my  judgment,  satisfactorily, 
that  the  behemoth  cannot  be  either  the  hippopotamus  or  the  elephant,  as 
man}'  commentators  have  imagined ;  and  assigns  his  reasons  for  believing' 
that  it  belongs  to  a  genus  altogether  extinct,  like  the  mastodondcmton  or 
mammoth.  The  leviathan,  he  regards  as  no  other  than  the  crocodile.  "  The 
general  character  of  the  leviathan  seems  so  well  to  apply  to  this  animal,  iu 
modern  as  well  as  in  ancient  times,  the  terror  of  all  the  coasts  and  coun- 
tries about  the  Nile,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  seek  farther." 

*13 


150  ACCOUNT    OP    THE    WORKS    OF 


PHYSIOLOGICAL    NOSOLOGY. 

Dr.  Good's  "  Physiological  System  of  Nosology,  with 
a  corrected  and  simplified  Nomenclature,"  was  the  re- 
sult of  several  years'  extensive  experience  and  sedulous 
research.  It  was  commenced  in  1808,  and  partially  an- 
nounced in  the  essay  on  Medical  Technology,  of  which  I 
have  already  given  an  account ;  but  it  was  not  published 
until  the  year  1820.  It  is  dedicated  to  the  President 
and  Fellows  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians  of  Lon- 
don ;"  "  a  copy  of  the  work  having  lain  for  public  inspec- 
tion upon  the  Censor's  table"  for  nearly  two  months, 
"  and  three  other  copies  having  been  circulated  among 
the  Fellows  in  rotation  ;"  after  which  "  the  author's  re- 
quest was  unanimously  acceded  to." 

Indeed,  the  high  reputation  of  Dr.  Good  for  profes- 
sional zeal  and  industry,  as  well  as  for  powerful  talents, 
unusual  erudition,  and  a  liberal  spirit  of  investigation, 
produced  a  cordial  welcome  for  this  comprehensive  vol- 
ume, among  all  classes  of  medical  men  ;  the  most  able 
of  whom  felt  themselves  pleasingly  "  constrained  to  ac- 
knowledge that  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  almost  all 
branches  of  science,  literature,  and  the  arts,  placed  him 
in  the  very  first  rank  of  our  learned  physicians."*  The 
same  professional  critic  speaks  of  this  System  of  Nosology, 
as  having  "  been  adopted  as  a  text-book  in  various  medi- 
cal schools,  as  well  as  by  individual  writers.  Like  all 
new  systems  of  nosology,  (says  the  same  writer)  it  re- 
quires a  new  technology — and  that  is  unquestionably  an. 
evil.  The  arrangement  of  Dr.  Good,  we  certainly  pre- 
fer to  every  other,  though  no  nosological  arrangement  has 
yet  appeared  without  defects.  To  the  nomenclature,  too, 
we  dare  not  object,  since  it  is  exclusively  taken  from  the 
Greek,  as  far  as  regards  his  classes,  orders,  and  genera — his 
authorities,  in  general,  being  Celsus  and  Galen.  When 
he  happens  to  wander  farther,  he  usually  supplies  him- 
self from  ^Etius,  Caelius  Aurelianus,  Diascorides,  or 
Aristotle." 

Having  adduced  this  professional  opinion  of  Dr.  Good's 
system  from  one  of  the  first  authorities,  and  one  whose 

*  Johnson's  Medico-Chirurgical  Review,  vol.  iii.  p.  574. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  151 

judgment  has  been  amply  confirmed  by  that  of  several 
medical  friends  ;  I  shall  now  proceed  to  describe  the 
work  in  the  manner  that  may  be  most  interesting  to  a 
general  reader  ;  that  is,  principally  as  a  work  of  literary 
research  and  scientific  classification.  In  attempting 
this,  I  shall  avail  myself  of  the  masterly  dissertation  pre- 
fixed by  the  author  to  his  treatise. 

The  main  objects  of  Dr.  Good  in  the  new  system  here 
exhibited  are,  to  connect  the  science  of  diseases  more 
closely  than  it  has  hitherto  been,  with  the  kindred 
branches  of  natural  knowledge ;  to  give  it  at  once  a 
more  obvious  and  intelligible  classification,  and  an  ar- 
rangement more  simple  in  principle,  yet  more  compre- 
hensive in  extent ;  to  correct  its  nomenclature,  where  it 
can  be  done  without  unnatural  force  ;  to  trace  its  distinc- 
tive terms,  botli  upwards  to  their  sources,  and  downwards 
to  their  modern  synonyms  in  various  languages :  thus 
producing  "  not  merely  a  manual  for  the  student  or  a 
text-book  for  the  lecturer,  but  a  book  that  may  stand  on 
the  same  shelf  with,  and  form  a  sort  of  appendix  to,  our 
most  popular  systems  of  Natural  History  ;  and  may  at 
the  same  time,  be  perused  by  the  classical  scholar  without 
disgust  at  that  barbarous  jargon,  with  which  the  language 
of  medicine  is  so  perpetually  tesselated."  The  attempt 
is  evidently  a  bold  one  ;  but  it  is  throughout  conducted 
with  a  becoming  spirit,  both  towards  the  author's  prede- 
cessors in  the  same  region  of  inquiry,  and  with  regard  to 
his  own  qualifications  for  the  arduous  task. 

In  his  preliminary  dissertation,  (occupying  100  pages) 
he  describes,  with  great  perspicuity,  the  chief  nosologi- 
cal  systems  of  modern  times,  the  nomenclature  in  actual 
use,  and  the  general  nature  of  the  improvements  which 
he  proposes  to  introduce.  Speaking  first  of  nosological 
treatises,  he  regards  all  their  modes  of  arrangement  as 
reducible  to  two  classes,  those  of  synopsis  and  of  system  ; 
and  decisively  prefers  the  latter,  on  account  of  the  facili- 
ties which  it  supplies  both  with  reference  to  study  and 
to  recollection.  Of  systematic  arrangements,  he  briefly 
describes  the  alphabetic,  that  formed  on  the  duration  of 
diseases,  that  on  the  anatomy  of  the  animal  frame,  that 
which  is  referred  to  the  cause  of  diseases,  denominated 
the  etiological  method,  the  mixed  modification  which 


152  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

rests  on  extent,  sex,  and  infancy,  conjointly,  and  then, 
the  system  built  upon  the  distinctive  symptoms,  or  coin- 
cidents* of  diseases, — this  latter  being,  in  his  opinion, 
the  only  method,  which  will  generally  hold  true  to  itself, 
and  on  which  entire  dependence  can  be  placed. 

He  next  presents  characteristic  sketches  in  succes- 
sion of  the  nosological  systems  of  Plater,  Sauvages,  Lin- 
na?us,  Vogel,  Sagar,  Cullen,  Selle,  Plouquet,  Pinel, 
Macbride,  Crichton,  Darwin,  Parr,  and  Young  ;  and  of 
the  limited  arrangements  of  Plench,  Willan,  Abernethy, 
and  Bateman.  In  pointing  out  the  nature,  merits,  and 
defects,  of  the  several  systems  which  are  thus  made  to 
pass  in  review  before  him,  he  evinces  a  kind,  cour- 
teous, and  liberal  spirit,  developing,  with  obvious  plea- 
sure, the  improvements  which  the  author  of  one  nosologi- 
cal scheme  has  made  upon  those  which  preceded,  and 
marking  those  peculiarities  which  he  has  been  able  to 
incorporate  with  systematic  propriety  in  his  own  arrange- 
ment. Several  of  the  observations  made  by  Dr.  Good  in 
these  concise  delineations  indicate  great  logical  acumen 
as  well  as  philosophical  research,  and  cannot  but  be  pe- 
rused with  benefit  by  the  student  of  medicine,  or,  indeed, 
of  natural  history. 

Thus,  when  he  notices  Dr.  Cullen's  very  extraordinary 
confusion  of  genera  and  species,  he  remarks  that  many 
other  nosologists  have  fallen  into  similar  mistakes.  To 
prevent  their  recurrence,  he  subjoins  the  following  in- 
structive observations. 

"  A  genus  is  not  a  disease,  any  more  than  it  is  an  ani- 
mal, a  vegetable,  or  a  mineral ;  but  a  group  or  assem- 
blage of  any  of  these,  possessing  certain  like  characters, 
and  associated  in  consequence  of  such  resemblance.  The 
consenting  characters,  being  abstracted  and  put  together, 
constitute  the  generic  definitions,  and  apply  to  the  whole  ; 
while  the  subordinate  characters  or  coincidents,  by 
which  one  differs  from  another,  constitute  the  specific  de- 
finition, and  distinguish  1  from  2,  and  2  from  3,  of  the 
same  group  or  genus.  A  genus,  therefore,  is  a  mere  ab- 
stract term,  a  non-entity  in  nature  ;  highly  useful,  indeed, 
in  the  chain  of  orders, — but  which  can  no  more  exist 

*  lu/u.Trra/u.n'raL  from  a-it^mTfrai,  "  to  fall  in,  happen  together,  or 
coincide." 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  153 

without  species,  than  a  regiment,  or  a  regimental  com- 
pany, can  exist  without  soldiers.  On  this  account  it  is 
that  no  man  can  ever  dif rover  a  genus,  though  he  may 
combine  generic  signs,  and  invent  a  generic  name.  The 
usual  order  is  the  following  :  he  first  discovers  an  indivi- 
dual, whether  a  plant,  animal,  or  disease,  possessing  very 
peculiar  marks,  so  as  to  separate  it  distinctly  from  any 
known  individual,  or  groups  of  individuals.  He  may  now, 
therefore,  be  said  to  have  found  a  new  species.  And  he 
proceeds  next  to  arrange  it.  He  first  separates  from  it 
the  most  striking  mark  by  which  it  is  distinguished ; 
and  if  this  should  be  strictly  singular,  it  constitutes 
alone  a  sufficient  character  for  a  new  genus,  and  will 
form  what  is  called,  from  this  very  circumstance,  its 
essential  generic  character.  If  it  be  not  strictly  singu- 
lar, he  must  look  for  another  striking  character, — a 
coincident  or  co-appearance, — or  if  necessary,  in  order 
to  render  the  distinction  complete,  a  third;  and  the  gen- 
eric character  will  consist  in  the  union  of  these  coinci- 
dents, in  the  combination  of  the  marks  that  are  thus  first 
detached  from  the  individual,  and  then  brought  into  a 
state  of  combination.  To  this  combination  of  detached 
or  abstract  signs  he  gives  what  name  he  pleases ;  and  he 
thus  obtains  a  generic  name,  as  well  as  a  generic  defini- 
tion. He  then  proceeds  to  select  one,  two,  or  more 
other  marks,  by  which  the  individual  is  peculiarly  distin- 
guished ;  and  these  united  form  his  specific  definition,  to 
which,  in  like  manner,  he  adds  a  specific  name.  He 
has  now  discovered  and  identified  a  species,  and  formed 
and  denominated  a  genus.  His  genus,  indeed,  consists 
at  present  but  of  a  single  species ;  and  many  genera  nev- 
er consist  of  more  ;  but  the  genus  is,  nevertheless,  formed 
upon  a  collective  principle  ;  it  presupposes  that  other  in- 
dividuals may,  hereafter,  be  detected,  possessing  the 
same  generic  character,  and  consequently  belonging  to 
the  same  banner  ;  at  the  same  time  differing  in  several 
of  its  subordinate  marks  from  the  individuals  already  ar- 
ranged under  such  banner  ;  and  which,  in  consequence, 
will  produce  new  species  as  long  as  other  individuals  pos- 
sessing such  discrepancies  shall  be  traced  out."  p.  xx. 

The  second  section  of  the  preliminary  dissertation, 
which  is  devoted  to  medical  nomenclature,  is  taken  prin- 
cipally from  the  essay  on  "  medical  technology,"  publish- 


154  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

ed  in  1810.  There  are,  however,  some  interesting  addi- 
tions in  reference  to  matters  of  etymology,  the  precise 
original  import  of  words,  the  extraordinary  changes  which 
some  of  them  have  experienced  in  the  lapse  of  time,  and 
the  radical  absurdity  involved  in  some  current  phrases, 
such  for  example,  as  tonic  spasm,  which  is  "  literally  exten- 
sible contractibility." 

In  the  third  section  the  author  explains  his  main  de- 
sign in  the  present  work  which  is  to  attempt  improve- 
ment in  the  healing  art  in  its  two  important  branches  of 
nosological  arrangement  and  nomenclature.  He  investi- 
gates the  primitive  and  modified  meanings  of  several 
words  from  a  great  variety  of  languages,  and  adverts  to 
some  of  the  evils  which  arise  from  their  loose  and  vague 
use.  He  then  ascertains  the  import  of  the  common 
prefixes  and  suffixes  employed  in  the  technology,  and 
shews  that  they  are  too  often  so  introduced  as  to  occasion 
confusion,  where  accuracy  and  precision  are  above  all 
things  desirable.  The  general  inquiry,  which  he  thus 
pursues  into  its  several  ramifications,  is  new,  I  think,  not 
only  in  reference  to  medicine,  but  in  great  measure,  also, 
to  Greek  philology.  It  cannot  but  be  useful  to  the  intel- 
ligent medical  student ;  while  it  is,  indeed,  well  calcula- 
ted to  gratify  the  reader. 

The  author  next  proceeds  to  unfold  the  principles  by 
means  of  which  he  endeavors  to  incorporate  the  ele- 
mentary study  of  animal  diseases,  with  that  of  the  ani- 
mal structure,  or  rather,  with  the  animal  economy.  He 
decides  to  erect  his  edifice  upon  a  physiological  basis ; 
and  then  sketches  the  plan  which  he  proposes  to  himself 
and  recommends  to  others. 

The  author  had  first  to  balance  between  two  schemes : 
that  of  Haller,  who  begins  at  the  first  and  simplest  vestige 
of  the  living  fibre,  and  pursues  the  growing  ens  through 
all  its  stages  of  evolution  ;  and  that  of  later  physiologists, 
who  take  at  once  the  animal  frame  in  its  mature  and  per- 
fect state,  and  trace  it  from  some  one  assumed  function 
through  all  the  rest. 

He  "  was  soon  led  to  a  preference  of  the  second  scheme. 
It  is  by  far  the  simpler  of  the  two,  and  directly  harmonizes 
with  the  fundamental  principle,  which  runs  through  all 
the  systems  of  zoology,  botany  and  mineralogy,  of  form- 


DK.  MASON   GOOD.  155 

ing  the  arrangement  and  selecting  the  characters  from 
the  more  perfect  individuals,  as  specimens.  He  decided, 
therefore,  upon  taking  the  more  prominent  functions  of 
the  animal  frame  for  his  primary  or  classific  division,  and 
the  more  important  of  their  respective  organs  for  his 
secondary  or  ordinal ;  and  without  tying  himself  to  a 
particular  distribution  of  the  former  in  any  authorized  or 
popular  use  at  the  present  moment,  to  follow  what  ap- 
pears to  be  the  order  of  nature  in  her  simplest  and  most 
intelligible  march. 

"  Tor  epair  the  exhaustion  which  is  constantly  taking 
place  in  every  part  of  the  body  from  the  common  wear 
and  tear  of  life,  it  is  necessary  that  the  alimentary  canal 
should  be  supplied  with  a  due  proportion  of  food,  the 
procuration  of  which,  therefore,  constitutes,  in  savage  aq 
well  as  in  civil  society,  the  first  concern  of  mankind. 
The  food  thus  procured  is  introduced  into  a  set  of  organs 
admirably  devised  for  its  reception  ;  and  its  elaboration 
into  a  nutritive  form  constitutes  what  physiologists  have 
denominated  the  DIGESTIVE  FUNCTION.  The  diseases, 
then,  to  which  this  function  is  subject,  will  be  found  to 
create  the  first  class  of  the  ensuing  system. 

"  The  food  thus  far  elaborated  has  yet  to  be  conveyed 
to  the  lungs,  and  be  still  farther  operated  upon  by  the 
atmosphere,  before  it  becomes  duly  assimilated  to  the 
nature  of  the  fabric  it  has  to  support.  The  FUNCTION  OF 
RESPIRATION  embraces  this  part  of  the  animal  economy  ; 
and  the  diseases  to  which  this  function  is  subject  form 
the  second  class  of  the  arrangement. 

"  The  blood,  now  matured  and  consummated,  is  re- 
turned to  the  heart,  and  sent  forth,  in  a  circulating 
course,  to  every  organ  of  the  body,  as  the  common  pabu- 
lum from  which  it  is  to  screen  what  it  stands  in  need  of: 
the  waste  blood  being  carried  back  to  the  fountain  from 
which  it  issued.  It  is  this  circulatory  track  that  consti- 
tutes the  SANGUINEOUS  FUNCTION  ;  and  the  diseases  by 
which  it  is  characterized  form  the  third  class  of  the  en- 
suing pages. 

"  But  the  blood  does  not  circulate  by  its  own  power. 
From  the  brain,  which  it  recruits  and  refreshes,  its  vessels 
(perhaps  itself)  receive  a  perpetual  influx  of  that  sensorial 
energy  which  gives  motion,  as  the  blood  gives  food,  to 


156  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

the  entire  machine  ;  converts  the  organized  into  an  ani- 
mal and  intellectual  system,  and  forms  the  important 
sphere  of  the  IX?ERVOUS  FUNCTION.  This  function,  also 
affords  scope  for  a  large  family  of  diseases  ;  and  hence 
we  obtain  a  ground  work  for  a  fourth  class. 

"  Such  is  the  progress  towards  perfection  in  the  life  of 
the  individual.  But  man  is  not  born  to  be  an  individual  ; 
he  is  designed  to  perpetuate  his  species ;  and  the  last 
finish  to  his  frame  consists  in  giving  full  developement  and 
activity  to  the  organs  which  are  subservient  to  this  pur- 
pose. We  thus  arrive  at  the  SEXUAL  FUNCTION  ;  and 
obtain  from  the  diseases  by  which  it  is  marked,  a  fifth 
class. 

"  As  every  part  is  thus  receiving  new  matter  from  the 
blood,  it  is  necessary  that  that  which  is  superseded 
should  be  carried  off  by  proper  emunctories-:  as  it  is  also 
necessary  that  the  antagonist  processes  of  restoration  and 
detrition  should  maintain  a  fair  balance.  And  hence  the 
minute  secretory  and  absorbent  vessels  hold  the  same 
relation  to  each  other  as  the  arteries  and  veins,  and  con- 
jointly create  an  EXCERNENT  FUNCTION  ;  whose  diseases 
lay  a  foundation  for  the  sixth  class  of  our  systematic 
attempt. 

"  It  will  yet  remain  to  create  a  class  for  external  acci- 
dcift.i,  and  those  accidental  mis  form  at  ions  which  occa- 
sionally disfigure  the  fetus.  This  will  constitute  the 
seventh  ;  and  under  these  seven  classes  it  will  possibly 
be  found  that  all  the  long  list  of  diseases  may  be  in- 
cluded which  man  is  called  to  suffer,  or  the  art  of  medi- 
cine to  provide  for."  p.  Ixxx. 

Consistently  with  the  arrangement  thus  simply  dedu- 
ced, our  author  divides  his  work  (which  comprises  546 
closely  printed  8vo.  pages)  into  seven  sections,  devoted  to 
a  series  of  seven  classes  and  their  subordinate  orders,  and 
in  order  that  the  student  may,  \vithout  difficulty,  compre- 
hend the  nomenclature,  he  introduces  a  table  of  the 
principal  Affixes  and  Suffixes,  with  the  senses  in  which 
they  are  employed. 

With  a  desire  to  render  this  work  more  extensively 
useful,  the  author  subjoins  to  the  systematic  name  of  every 
disease,  its  chief  technical  and  vernacular  synonyms  ; 
confining,  however,  the  vernacular  synonyms  to  the 


DR.   MASON  GOOD.  157 

English,  German,  and  French  languages,  the  technical 
ones,  principally  to  the  Greek,  Latin,  and  Arabic.  In 
this  department  of  research,  his  knowledge  of  the  Orien- 
tal languages  has  enabled  him  to  proceed  with  firm  steps 
over  regions  into  which  but  few  of  his  predecessors  in 
physiology  have  attempted  to  make  even  an  entrance. 
But,  besides  this  peculiarity,  there  is  another,  and  a  very 
prominent  feature  in  Dr.  Good's  treatise,  which,  I  under- 
stand, served  more  than  everything  else  to  give  it  popu- 
larity. 

"  In  order  to  afford  relief  to  the  dryness  of  technical 
definitions,  and  verbal  criticism,  the  author  has  digested 
his  notes  into  a  running  commentary,  which  he  has  en- 
deavored to  render  replete  with  interesting  cases,  valuable 
hints  or  remarks,  and  singular  physiological  facts,  gleaned 
from  a  pretty  extensive  perusal  of  the  most  approved  au- 
thorities, collective  or  individual,  ancient  or  modern  ; 
occasionally  interwoven  with  similar  illustrations,  as  they 
occurred  to  the  writer  in  his  own  private  walk  and  inter- 
course of  life." 

This  "  running  commentary,"  is  printed  with  a  small 
type  and  occupies,  on  an  average,  more  than  half  of  the 
page.  A  copious  nosological  index  at  the  end  of  the  vol- 
ume, greatly  facilitates  reference,  and  proportionally  aug- 
ments the  utility  of  the  whole. 

STUDY  OF  MEDICINE. 

The  first  edition  of  Dr.  Good's  "  Study  of  Medicine" 
was  published  in  1822,  in  four  thick  Svo.  volumes.  It 
presented  a  fairly  proportioned  complete  picture  of  medi- 
cal science,  as  it  then  existed.  But,  happily  for  the  world, 
neither  the  healinsf  art  nor  the  theoretic  considerations 
on  which  it  so  mainly  depends,  are  stationary.  They 
partake  of  the  general  intellectual  impulsion  of  the  pre- 
sent times  :  so  that,  while  the  principles  experience  ex- 
tension and  correction,  the  practical  applications  become, 
in  consequence,  more  simple,  powerful,  and  direct.  Thus 
the  exigencies  of  the  profession,  and  the  success  of  this 
work  (so  well  calculated  for  their  use)  concurred  in  the 
production  of  a  new  edition  in  1825;  in  which,  by  modi- 
fications in  the  substance  in  many  places,  and  valuable 
14 


158  ACCOUNT    OF   THE    WORKS    OP 

supplementary  matter  in  others,  the  progressive  improve- 
ments have  been  duly  recorded  ;  the  whole  being  now 
comprised  in  five  volumes.*  As  the  largest  portion  of 
the  new  matter  appertains  to  what  in  the  former  impression 
constituted  the  second  volume,  the  author  has  effected 
his  augmentations  "  by  dividing  this  alone  into  two  vol- 
umes, and  adding  a  little  to  the  paging  of  the  next." 

Dr.  Good  describes  his  object  in  this  comprehensive 
work  to  be  to  unite  those  different  branches  of  medical 
science,  which  when  carried  to  any  considerable  extent, 
have  hitherto  been  treated  separately  by  most  writers, 
into  a  general  system,  such  as  may  be  contemplated  in  a 
single  view,  and  pursued  under  a  common  study.  The 
branches  thus  united,  are,  1.  PHYSIOLOGY,  or  the  doctrine 
of  the  natural  action  of  the  living  principle.  2.  PATHOL- 
OGY, or  the  doctrine  of  its  morbid  action.  3.  NOSOLOGY, 
or  the  doctrine  of  the  classification  of  diseases.  4,  THE- 
RAPEUTICS, or  the  doctrine  of  their  treatment  and  cure. 

In  the  nosological  arrangement,  the  author  has  made 
slight  alterations  in  the  distribution  of  one  or  two  of  the 

*In  a  letter  addressed  to  Dr.  Drake  (bearing1  date  December  llth, 
1824,)  Dr.  Good  gives  the  following  account  of  the  progress  of  the  new 
edition,  and  of  the  improvements  which  he  proposed  it  to  exhibit. 

"  I  am  now  hard  at  work  in  printing  off  my  second  edition. — two 
volumes  at  a  time, — so  that  the  whole  will,  I  hope,  be  finished  soon  after 
the  end  of  March.  Having  completed,  however,  the  entire  range  of  its 
composition,  I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  correct  the  press.  But  I  have 
bestowed  a  good  deal  of  additional  labor  upon  it,  to  meet  some  of  the  hints 
that  have  been  communicated  to  me.  It  will  now  form,  as  far  as  I  think  it 
should,  a  record  of  all  the  opinions  and  methods  of  the  continent  advanced 
in  our  own  day ;  which  has  rendered  it  necessary  for  me  to  remodel  the 
writing  in  some  pails  of  most  of  the  pages,  as  well  as  to  wade  through  an 
immensity  of  trash,  in  pursuit  of  a  little  sterling  matter;  and,  at  .the 
particular  request  of  the  Army  Medical  Board,  and  especially  of  the 
Director  General,  it  will  a  little  enlarge  on  a  few  of  the  diseases  of  warm 
climates,  from  documents  of  their  own,  which  have  not  met  the  public  eye. 
There  are  also  other  subjects  which  remain  to  be  brought  forward,  and 
have  either  been  starlet!  or  have  grown  into  importance  since  the  first 
edition  : — as,  Thomson's  work  on  Varioloid  Diseases,  and  the  question  it 
involves  :  Willan's  speculations  on  the  same  subject,  published  posthu- 
mously :  the  destructive  inflammation  that  occasionally  takes  place  on 
dissecting  with  a  punctured  hand  (Erythema  anatomictim  ,-) — the  singular 
emaciation  or  bloodlessness,  described  by  some  of  the  French  writers 
(Marasmus  Anhicmia ;)  the  Melanosis  of  Breschet  and  others;  and  the 
lateral  curvature  of  the  spine,  or  spinal  muscles  (Entasia  Rhnchybia.) 
Then  there  is  an  account  to  be  given  of  Laennec's  Stethoscope,  &c. ;  how 
far  Syphilis  may  be  cured,  or  it  ought  to  be  attempted,  without  mercury  : 
many  of  the  new  medicines  lately  Imported  from  France.  &c.  You  will 
Lence  perceive  that  I  must  have  another  volume." 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  159 

diseases,  as  compared  with  his  "  System  of  Nosology :" 
to  the  first  six  classes  of  which,  however,  he  adheres,  on 
the  whole,  throughout  these  volumes.  The  first  volume 
comprises,  in  630  pages,  the  whole  of  Class  I.,  and  the  two 
first  orders  of  Class  II. — Vol.  II.  in  t>C2  pages,  the  re- 
mainder of  Class  II.,  and  the  two  first  orders  of  Class  III. 
— Vol.  III.  in  518  pages,  is  devoted  to  the  remaining 
orders,  genera  and  species  of  Class  III. — Vol.  IV.  in  688 
pages,  includes  the  whole  of  Class  IV. — And  Vol.  V.  in 
738  pages,  comprehends  Classes  V  and  VI. 

The  notes  at  the  feet  of  the  pages,  consist  principally 
of  references  to  other  works  of  celebrity,  British  and 
Foreign,  on  the  same  or  connected  topics  ;  and  the  side 
margin  of  every  page  contains,  in  a  smaller  type,  a  brief 
running  abstract  of  the  contents  of  the  several  sentences 
on  the  page  itself.  Every  distinct  opening  of  pages,  too, 
exhibits  an  abbreviated  reference  to  the  class,  order, 
genus,  species  :  thus  conducing  greatly  to  a  ready  con- 
sultation of  the  appropriate  portion  of  the  work  to  which 
a  student  may  wish  to  turn.  A  copious  index  of  double 
columns  on  30  pages,  containing  a  reference  to  any  sub- 
ject, as  indicated  by  its  Arabic,  Greek,  Latin,  or  English 
name,  in  addition  to  the  other  facilities  just  specified, 
gives  to  this  work  an  advantage  which  few  other  modern 
treatises,  on  either  the  theory  or  practice  of  science,  can 
boast  of. 

Dr.  Good  remarks,  that  a  pretty  active  spirit  of  physio- 
logy pervades  the  whole  work.  He  has  also  availed  him- 
self of  the  advantage  so  readily  afforded  by  his  arrange- 
ment, of  prefixing  to  every  class  a  "  Physiological  Proem," 
containing  a  summary  of  the  most  important  laws  and 
discoveries  in  physiology,  that  tend  to  elucidate  the  sub- 
jects comprehended  in  the  class  to  which  the  proem  be- 
longs. "  The  author  has,  also,  occasionally  enriched  these 
dissertations  by  a  glance  at  the  more  striking  analogies  of 
the  animal,  and  even  of  the  vegetable  world  at  large, 
wherever  they  could  add  to  the  illustration."  To  me 
these  "  proems"  seem  to  constitute  the  most  entertaining 
and  instructive  portions  of  this  highly  entertaining  and  in- 
structive work.  I  have  read  some  of  them  again  and  again, 
and  always  with  an  increased  gratification.  If  they  are 
throughout  correct,  of  which  I  need  scarcely  declare  my- 


160  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

self  again  an  incompetent  judge,  they  would  of  themselves 
form  an  interesting  volume.  But  many  regions  of  physio- 
logical research,  are  as  yet  debateable  ground  ;  and  as  the 
author  confesses  that  he  has  here  indulged  "  a  pretty  active 
spirit,"  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  properly  qualified 
reader  may  not  yield  an  entire  assent  to  every  statement 
or  deduction  in  these  preliminary  disquisitions — however 
sound  the  author's  general  principles,  and  however  diver- 
sified and  beautiful  many  of  his  illustrations. 

With  a  view  to  convey  some  idea  of  Dr.  Good's  method 
of  treating  a  disease,  I  select  for  an  example  that  which 
relates  to  Entasia  Rachybia,  muscular  distortion  of  the 
spine.  After  laying  down  a  general  definition,  he  adverts 
to  the  various  kinds,  and  dilates  upon  that  first  described 
by  Pott ;  scrofulous,  and  producing  caries.  He  then 
traces  the  rachetic  source,  and  remarks  that  in  these 
cases  the  disease  is  a  primary  affection  of  the  bones,  pro- 
ducing angular  distortion  as  opposed  to  lateral.  He  next 
speaks  of  muscular,  ligamentous,  or  cartilaginous  distor- 
tion, the  organs  being  affected  sometimes  singly,  sometimes 
jointly.  Then  he  adverts  to  the  distinctions  observed  by 
the  Greek  writers,  viz.  Lordosis,  Cyrtosis,  and  Hybosis, 
distinctions  well  discriminated  by  Pott.  To  these  suc- 
ceed brief  accounts  of  the  views  of  the  disease  taken  by 
Baynton,  Wilson,  Lloyd,  and  Jarrold.  The  author  then 
observes,  that  the  muscular  is  much  more  common  than 
the  osseous  distortion  of  the  spine,  and  sketches  the  dif- 
ferent explanations  of  Grant,  Harrison,  and  Dods.  He 
next  shews  the  nature  of  the  muscular  distortion  now 
most  common,  assigns  muscular  debility  as  the  proximate 
cause,  traces  the  commencement  and  progress  of  the  dis- 
ease, the  augmentation  of  the  evil  by  the  modern  disci- 
pline of  ladies'  schools  and  then  describes  the  preventive 
and  remediable  means,  as  cupping,  shampooing,  friction, 
advantageous  position,  couch,  inclined  plane,  &c.  ;  add- 
ing, however,  that,  besides  these,  pure  air,  sea-bathing, 
and  every  other  kind  of  tonic,  whether  external  or  inter- 
nal, are  of  the  utmost  importance. 

Among  the  occasional  causes  of  this  diseased  incurva- 
tion, Dr.  Good  includes  the  various  contrivances  adopted 
to  mould  the  female  form  into  greater  symmetry  than  it  is 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  161 

supposed  to  have  received  from  its  Creator.     On  this  to- 
pic, his  remarks  are  as  important  as  they  are  just. 

"The  greater  frequency  of  the  lateral  distortion  of  the 
spine  in  our  own  day,  compared  with  its  apparent  range 
in  former  times,  together  with  the  increased  coercion  and 
complication  of  the  plan  laid  down  in  many  of  our  fash- 
ionable schools  for  young  ladies,  seems  clearly  to  indicate 
that  some  part  at  least  of  its  increased  inroad  is  charge- 
able to  this  source. 

"  The  simple  fact  is,  that  the  system  of  discipline  is 
carried  too  far,  and  rendered  much  too  complicated  ;  and 
art,  which  should  never  be  more  than  the  handmaid  of 
jifitiij-e,  is  elevated  into  her  tyrant.  In  rustic  life  we  have 
health  and  vigor,  and  a  pretty  free  use  of  the  limbs  and 
muscles,  because  all  are  left  to  the  impulse  of  the  moment, 
to  be  exercised  without  restraint.  The  country  girl  rests 
when  she  is  weary,  and  in  whatever  position  she  chooses 
or  finds  easiest  ;  and  walks,  hops,  or  runs,  as  her  fancy 
may  direct,  when  she  has  recovered  herself:  she  bends 
her  body  and  erects  it  as  she  lists,  and  the  flexor  and  ex- 
tensor muscles  are  called  into  an  equal  and  harmonious 
play.  There  may  be  some  degree  of  awkwardness,  and 
there  generally  will  be,  in  her  attitudes  and  movements ; 
and  the  great  scope  of  female  discipline  (as  to  the  motions 
of  the  body)  should  consist  in  correcting  this.  With  this 
it  should  begin,  and  with  this  it  should  terminate,  wheth- 
er our  object  be  directed  to  giving  grace  to  the  unculti- 
vated human  figure,  or  the  uncultivated  brute.  We  may 
modify  the  action  of  muscles  in  common  use,  or  even  call 
more  into  play  than  are  ordinarily  exercised,  as  in  various 
kinds  of  dancing;  but  the  moment  we  employ  one  set  of 
muscles  at  the  expense  of  another ;  keep  the  extensors 
on  a  full  stretch  from  day  to  day,  by  forbidr^ng  the  head 
to  stoop,  or  the  back  to  be  bent ;  and  throw  the  flexors  of 
these  organs  into  disuse  and  despisal ;  we  destroy  the 
harmony  of  the  frame,  instead  of  adding  to  its  elegance  ; 
weaken  the  muscles  that  have  the  disproportionate  load 
thrown  upon  them ;  render  the  rejected  muscles  torpid 
and  unpliant ;  sap  the  foundation  of  the  general  health, 
and  introduce  a  crookedness  of  the  spine  instead  of 
guarding  against  it.  The  child  of  the  opulent,  while  too 
*14 


162  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

young  to  be  fettered  with  a  fashionable  dress,  or  drilled  into 
the  discipline  of  our  female  schools,  has  usually  as  much 
health,  and  as  little  tendency  to  distortion,  as  the  child  of 
the  peasant :  but  let  these  two,  for  the  ensuing  eight  or 
ten  years,  change  places  with  each  other ;  let  the  young 
heiress  of  opulence  be  left  at  liberty  ;  and  let  the  peasant 
girl  be  restrained  from  her  freedom  of  muscular  exertion 
in  play  and  exercise  of  every  kind  ;  and  instead  of  this, 
let  her  be  compelled  to  sit  bolt-upright,  in  a  high  nar- 
row chair  with  a  straight  back,  that  hardly  allows  of  any 
flexion  to  the  sitting  muscles,  or  of  any  recurvation  to  the 
spine ;  and  let  the  whole  of  her  exercise,  instead  of  ir- 
regular play  and  frolic  gaiety,  be  limited  to  the  staid  and 
measured  march  of  Melancholy  in  the  Penseroso  of  Mil- 
ton : 

With  even  step  and  musing  gait  j 

to  be  regularly  performed  for  an  hour  or  two  every  day, 
and  to  constitute  the  whole  of  her  corporeal  relaxation 
from  month  to  month,  girded,  moreover,  all  the  while, 
with  the  paraphernalia  of  braces,  bodiced  stays,  and  a 
spiked  collar  ; — and  there  can  be  little  doubt,  that,  while 
the  child  of  opulence  shall  be  acquiring  all  the  health 
and  vigor  her  parents  could  wish  for,  though  it  may  be 
with  a  color  somewhat  too  shaded  with  brown,  and  an 
air  somewhat  less  elegant  than  might  be  desired,  the 
transplanted  child  of  the  cottage  will  exhibit  a  shape  as 
fine,  and  a  demeanor  as  elegant,  as  fashion  can  commu- 
nicate, but  at  the  heavy  expense  of  a  languor  and  relaxa- 
tion of  fibre  that  no  stays  of  props  can  compensate,  and 
no  improvement  of  figure  can  atone  for. 

"  Surely  it  is  not  necessary,  in  order  to  acquire  all  the 
air  and  gracefulness  of  fashionable  life,  to  banish  from 
the  hour  of  recreation  the  old  rational  amusements  of 
battledore  and  shuttlecock,  of  tennis,  trap-ball,  or  any 
other  game  that  calls  into  action  the  bending  as  well  as 
the  extending  muscles,  gives  firmness  to  every  organ,  and 
the  glow  of  health  to  the  entire  surface. 

"Such,  and  a  thousand  similar  recreations,  varied  ac- 
cording to  the  fancy,  should  enter  into  the  school-training 
of  the  day,  and  alternate  with  the  grave  procession  and  the 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  163 

measured  dance,  for  there  is  no  occasion  to  banish  either  ; 
although  many  of  the  more  intricate  and  venturous  dances, 
as  the  Bolero,  should  be  but  occasionally  and  moderately 
indulged  in  ;  since,  as  has  been  sufficiently  shewn  by  -Mr. 
Shaw,  '  we  have  daily  opportunities  of  observing,  not  only 
the  good  effects  of  well-regulated  exercise,  but  also  the 
actual  deformity  which  arises  from  the  disproportionate 
developement  that  is  produced  by  the  undue  exertion  of 
particular  classes  of  muscles." — vol.  iv.  p.  332. 

Among  our  author's  interesting  treatises  upon  different 
diseases,  that  which  relates  to  Leprosy  is  one  of  the  most 
elaborate  and  curious.  He  traces  the  history  of  its  tech- 
nology, from  the  Hebrew,  through  the  Arabic  and 
Greek  languages,  and  is  thus  enabled  to  assign  rea- 
sons for  much  of  the  vagueness  and  confusion  which 
have  prevailed  respecting  this  disorder.  The  theologian, 
as  well  as  the  student  of  medicine,  may  here  derive  bene- 
fit from  his  researches.  I  much  regret  that  their  gene- 
ral result  is  presented  too  much  at  length  to  allow  of  its 
insertion  in  these  pages. 

I  have  already  (p.  80.)  alluded  to  letters  from  several  of 
the  most  distinguished  physicians,  and  others,  at  home  and 
abroad,  expressive  of  their  high  sense  of  the  value  of  Dr. 
Good's  "  Study  of  Medicine,"  and  of  its  tendency  "  to 
support  and  increase  the  reputation  he  had  so  deservedly 
acquired,  as  one  of  the  most  learned  and  most  philosophi- 
cal members  of  the  medical  profession."  It  was  once  my 
intention  to  solicit  the  permission  of  these  gentlemen  to 
publish  their  respective  letters,  as  honorable  to  themselves 
for  their  frank  and  kind  expressions  of  esteem,  as  to  the 
individual  whom  they  panegyrize  for  the  rich  diversity  of 
his  talents  and  attainments.  But  on  farther  meditation, 
I  feel  it  preferable  to  adduce  the  testimonies  supplied  by 
two  or  three  of  our  medical  journals.  To  Dr.  Johnson, 
in  whose  Medico-Chirurgical  Review,  vols.  iii.  and  iv. 
there  is  a  very  elaborate  and  copious  analysis,  occupying 
65  pages,  I  have  already  referred.  But  I  may,  notwith- 
standing, present  another  extract.  After  specifying  a 
few  defects  in  the  first  edition,  which  were  corrected  in 
the  second,  the  author  of  the  analysis*  adds : 

*  Usually  imputed  to  Dr.  Armstrong. 


164  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  WORKS  OF 

"  With  these  trifling  defects,  we  have  no  hesitation  in 
pronouncing  the  work,  beyond  all  comparison,  the  best  of 
the  kind  in  the  English  language.  With  the  naval,  the 
military,  the  provincial,  and  the  colonial  practitioner,  the 
work  before  us,  ought  at  once  to  supersede  the  unscien- 
tific compilation  of  Dr. ;  and  it  will  do  so." 

In  a  note,  the  same  professional  critic  observes,  "  We 
have  just  heard  a  gentleman  remark,  that  he  was  rather 
disappointed  in  not  finding  minute  information  on  a  par- 
ticular subject,  for  which  he  consulted  these  volumes. 
The  complaint  was  unreasonable.  For  minute  informa- 
tion, we  must  consult  monographs,  or  distinct  treatises. 
In  a  system  like  this,  however  extensive,  we  can  expect 
no  more  than  general  information,  and  references  to  other 
and  more  elaborate  works,  on  the  particular  subject  dis- 
cussed."* 

In  "  Anderson's  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  Medical 
Sciences,"  vol.  ii.  No.  8.  October,  1825,  a  full  account  is 
given  of  the  improvements  of  the  second  edition  of 
the  Study  of  Medicine.  The  reviewer  says,  "  We  have 
already  expressed  our  satisfaction  at  the  reappearance 
of  this  valuable  and  accurate  work  in  a  new  edition. 
Of  such  a  work,  indeed,  when  we  consider  it  to  be  the 
composition  of  one  man,  we  may  say,  with  truth,  that 
the  age  of  laborious  diligence  is  not  past,  and  that  there 
is  still  an  individual  among  us  who  can  devour  and 
digest  whole  libraries.  This  would,  no  doubt,  be  surpri- 
sing even  in  a  man  of  a  retired  life,  but  it  is  doubly  so  in 
one  who  is  a  practical  physician,  and  a  poet  of  no  mean 
fame.  For  learning,  for  research,  for  original  observa- 
tion, where  is  the  practical  system  of  the  present  day,  we 
may  fearlessly  ask,  that  can  be  compared  to  it  ?"  "  Dr. 
Good  is  a  universal  scholar ;  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  learned  and  Oriental  languages ;  he  writes  English 
with  facility  and  elegance ;  and  we  are  sure  that  every 
physician  who  is  a  man  of  taste  and  of  learning,  will  pe- 
ruse his  pages  with  avidity  and  delight." 

Again  the   Editor  of  the  "Edinburgh  Medical  and 

*  It  ought,  however,  to  be  observed,  that  the  work  abounds  throughout, 
with  the  statement  of  facts  and  the  relation  of  cases  ;  the  latter  uniformly 
given  with  graphic  perspicuity,  and,  where  they  involved  distressing  or  fa- 
tal consequences,  with  much  sympathy  and  feeling. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  165 

Surgical  Journal,"  in  the  No.  for  January,  1826,  after 
specifying  the  principal  improvements  in  Dr.  Good's  new 
edition,  proceeds : 

"  Of  the  merits  of  this  work,  we  formerly  expressed 
our  opinion  at  considerable  length  ;  and  it  is  not  now  re- 
quisite to  resume  the  subject.  Its  good  and  bad  points 
we  canvassed  in  the  spirit  of  liberal  criticism  ;  but  we 
trust  without  asperity.  Though  we  still  entertain  the 
same  opinion  of  its  defects,  we  must  confess,  the  oftener 
we  read  it,  the  more  excellent  it  appears.  The  informa- 
tion is  copious,  accurate,  and  various ;  the  research  and 
learning  unrivalled  ;  the  style  clear  and  precise  ;  and  the 
language,  when  not  too  affected,  is  classical  and  pleasing. 
It  certainly  contains  the  most  comprehensive  and  correct 
view  of  medical  knowledge  extant ;  and  we  know  no 
work  from  which  the  student  will  derive  greater  informa- 
tion, arid  obtain  it  in  a  more  interesting  manner." 

I  need  not  apologize  for  collecting  these  critical  opin- 
ions from  the  most  respectable  professional  authorities,  on 
a  work  respecting  the  scientific  value  of  which  it  would 
be  the  height  of  absurdity  for  me  to  offer  any  judgment. 
I  may,  perhaps,  without  incurring  the  charge  of  invad- 
ing the  province  of  others,  remark,  in  addition  to  what 
has  preceded,  that  Dr.  Good  richly  merits  a  distinct  eulo- 
gium  for  having,  throughout  these  volumes,  uniformly  ex- 
erted himself  to  check  the  influence  of  fashion  in  the  in- 
troduction and  proscription  of  remedies,  as  well  as  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  generally.* 

THE    BOOK    OF    NATURE. 

This  publication  issued  from  the  press  early  in  1826, 
in  three  octavo  volumes.  It  has,  however,  so  infelicitous 

*  Since  the  above  was  written,  I  have  received  a  letter  from  my  esteemed 
friend.  Dr.  J.  VV.  Francis,  of  .New  York,  in  which  he  says,  "  The  death 
of  our  mutual  friend,  Dr.  Good,  has  produced  a  sensation  among  our  medi- 
cal brethren,  that  shews  most  satisfactorily  how  high  he  stood  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  profession.  His  writings  are  well  known  among  us,  and  no  les* 
than  three  editions  of  his  '  Study  of  Medicine'  have  been  printed  for  our 
medical  improvement.  I  intend,  dear  sir.  to  transmit  you  some  account  of 
what  we  Americans  have  thought  of  him;  and  I  rejoice  to  learn  that  you 
contemplate  an  account  of  his  life  and  writings.  Is  it  so  ?  I  wish  to  say  a 
little  of  him.  because  of  his  vast  renown  in  America,  and  the  exemplary 
virtues  of  his  private  character." — This  promised  communication  I  much 
regret  to  say,  has  not  yet  arrived. 


1G6  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

a  title,  that  it  conveys  no  adequate  idea,  I  might  almost 
say,  no  idea,  of  the  nature  of  the  puhlication  itself. 
These  three  volumes  contain  the  lectures  which  Dr.  Good 
delivered,  in  three  successive  winters,  at  the  Surrey  In- 
stitution. A  few  alterations  and  improvements  have  been 
introduced,  of  which  the  author  thus  speaks  : — 

"  The  progress  of  time  (since  1810)  and  the  mental 
activity  with  which  it  has  been  followed  up,  have  stri- 
kingly confirmed  various  hints  and  opinions  which  he  ven- 
tured to  suggest  as  he  proceeded,  and  have  introduced  a 
few  novelties  into  one  or  two  branches  of  science  since 
the  period  referred  to ;  but  the  interval  which  has  hereby 
occurred  has  enabled  the  author  to  keep  pace  with  the 
general  march,  and  to  pay  due  attention  to  such  doctrines 
or  discoveries,  in  their  respective  positions  of  time  and 
place." 

The  plan  of  these  volumes  evinces  less  logical  acumen 
than  is  exhibited  in  some  of  his  other  publications ;  but 
this  may  probably  have  arisen  from  the  author's  delinea- 
ting the  outlines  of  the  first  series  of  lectures,  without 
having  in  contemplation  any  subsequent  train  of  research 
beyond  their  immediate  scope.  Considered  all  together, 
however,  notwithstanding  the  minor  defects  in  arrange- 
ment, there  is  much,  in  the  disquisitions  thus  collected, 
to  amuse,  to  instruct,  and  often  to  delight  and  improve. 
The  young  in  perusing  them  will  find  their  thirst  for 
knowledge  kept  alive  while  it  is  gratified ;  and  may  yield 
themselves  to  this  instructer  without  any  fear  that  their 
better  principles  will  be  sapped,  or  their  happiness  endan- 
gered. The  author's  style  is  vivacious,  popular,  and  free 
from  technical  stiffness,  in  a  few  cases  perhaps  to  oratori- 
cal ;  but  he  passes  from  subject  to  subject,  in  his  widely 
diversified  course,  with  that  intellectual  elasticity  which 
was  one  of  his  most  remarkable  endowments,  and  which 
gave  the  principal  charm  to  his  successive  productions. 

The  volumes  are  devoted  respectively  to  three  series  of 
lectures.  Of  these,  the  first  is  employed  in  unfolding  "  the 
nature  of  the  material  world,  and  the  scale  of  unorganized 
and  organized  tribes  that  issue  from  it."  This  series  com- 
prises fifteen  lectures,  which  treat  of — matter  and  the  mate- 
rial world, — the  elementary  and  constituent  principles  of 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  167 

things, — the  properties  of  matter  essential  and  peculiar, 
• — geology, — organized  bodies,  and  the  structure  of  plants 
compared  with  that  of  animals, — 'the  general  analogy  of 
animal  and  vegetable  life, — the  principles  of  life,  irrita- 
bility, and  muscular  motion, — the  bones,  cartilages,  teeth, 
hair,  wool,  silk,  feathers,  and  other  hard  or  solid  parts  of 
the  animal  frame, — the  digestive  function  and  its  appro- 
priate organs, — diversities  of  food  taken  by  different  ani- 
mals,— the  circulation  of  the  blood, — respiration,  and 
animalization, — the  processes  of  assimilation  and  nutri- 
tion,— and  the  external  senses  of  animals. 

The  second  series  is  employed  in  developing  "  the  na- 
ture of  the  animate  world  ;  its  peculiar  powers  and  exter- 
nal relations  ;  means  of  communicating  ideas  ;  and  the 
formation  of  society."  The  subdivisions  (in  13  lectures) 
relate  to — zoological  systems,  and  the  distinctive  charac- 
ters of  animals — the  varieties  of  the  human  race — instinct 
— the  distinguishing  characters  of  instinct,  sensation,  and 
intelligence — sympathy,  and  fascination — sleep,  dream- 
ing, reverie,  and  trance,  sleep-walking  and  sleep-talking 
— voice  and  language,  vocal  imitations,  and  ventriloquism 
— the  language  of  animals,  the  language  of  man — legible 
language,  imitative  and  symbolical — the  literary  education 
of  former  times,  and  especially  that  of  Greece  and  Rome 
— the  dark  or  middle  ages — the  revival  of  literature. 

The  third  series,  in  15  lectures,  is  devoted  to  "  the 
nature  of  mind  ;  its  general  faculties  and  furniture." 
The  subordinate  divisions  relate  to — materialism  and  im- 
materialism — the  nature  and  duration  of  the  soul,  as  ex- 
plained by  popular  tradition,  by  various  schools  of  philo- 
sophy, and  by  revelation — the  human  understanding — 
ancient  and  modern  sceptics — the  "  common  sense"  hy- 
pothesis— human  happiness — the  general  faculties  and 
free  agency  of  the  mind — the  origin,  connexion,  and  cha- 
racter of  the  passions — the  leading  characters  and  pas- 
sions of  savage  and  of  civilized  life — temperaments  and 
constitutional  propensities — pathognomy,  or  the  expres- 
sion of  the  passions — physiognomy  and  craniognomy — the 
language  of  the  passions — on  taste,  genius,  and  imagina- 
tion. 

In  this  wide  range  of  subjects,  philosophical,  zoologi- 


168  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

cal,  metaphysical,  literary,  and  moral,  it  would  be  unrea- 
sonable to  expect  that  there  should  be  no  mistakes  in 
reasoning,  no  defects  in  principle,  no  infringements  upon 
good  taste.  But  deductions  from  the  value  of  the  whole, 
on  either  of  these  accounts,  are  much  more  seldom  requi- 
site than  might  have  been  expected,  considering  the  great 
diversity  of  topics,  and  the  difficulties  essentially  involved 
in  some  of  them.  The  chief  violation  of  good  taste  which 
I  have  noticed,  consists  in  the  employment  of  scriptural 
phrases*  to  illustrate  other  than  theological  subjects. 
They  are  never  employed  irreverently,  or  in  badinage  ; 
but  in  application  to  some  intellectual  inquiry.  They 
were  introduced,  I  conjecture,  in  the  author's  original 
composition  of  the  Lectures,  and  escaped  his  notice  at  the 
time  of  final  revision  for  publication  ;  a  time  when  he  had 
learned  most  scrupulously  to  abstain  from  everything  cal- 
culated to  diminish  the  reverence  due  to  Scripture. 

What,  however,  is  principally  remarkable  in  these 
volumes,  is  the  judicious  selection  and  grouping  under 
their  proper  heads,  of  a  great  variety  of  striking,  curious, 
and  illustrative  facts  ;  so  brought  together  and  exhibited 
as  to  confirm  most  cogently  the  theory,  or  doctrine,  or 
verity,  with  a  view  to  which  they  have  been  thus  collect- 
ed. While  the  author  skilfully  adduces  facts  and  rea- 
sonings in  favor  of  some  theories,  he  proceeds  similarly 
with  regard  to  the  refutation  of  others, — especially  of 
those,  whether  deduced  from  supposed  physiological  or 
metaphysical  verities  and  principles,  which  militate  against 
the  statement  of  revealed  truth. 

Were  it  not  for  my  persuasion  that  the  "  Book  of  Na- 
ture" will  be  extensively  read,  so  soon  as  its  real  charac- 
ter is  known,  I  should  be  tempted  to  quote  largely  from 
its  pages.  But,  with  that  conviction,  I  shall  simply  pre- 
sent a  part  of  our  author's  inquiry  into  the  varieties  of 
the  human  race.  This  is  a  well-known  subject  of  scepti- 
cal triumph,  because  of  its  assumed  incompatibility  with 
the  Mosaic  account  of  the  creation  of  the  world.  Blu- 
menbach,  Dr.  Smith  of  America,  and  others,  have  most 

*  Such  as,  "  the  fulness  of  time/'  "  regeneration,"  "  rejoicing  as  a  giant 
to  run  his  race,"  "  the  day  spring  from  on  high,"  die. 


DR.  MASON   GOOD.  169 

decidedly  refuted  the  infidel  objection,  drawn  from  the 
imagined  inconsistency  of  existing  facts  with  the  prime- 
val relation.  But  there  was  still  room  for  a  popular  and 
spirited  exhibition  of  the  physiological  arguments  on  this 
side  of  the  question,  incorporated  with  those  which  flow 
from  a  correct  interpretation  of  the  scripture  narrative. 

Dr.  Good  delineates  the  principal  varieties  under  the 
denominations  of  the  European  race,  the  Asiatic  race, 
the  American,  the  African,  and  the  Australian  ;  agreeing 
nearly  with  the  classifications  of  Blumenbach  and  Gmelin. 
Then  he  places  the  objections  above  adverted  to,  in  their 
full  force  ;  and  after  alluding  to  the  hypothesis  of  those 
who  would  refer  the  human  and  the  monkey  tribes  to  one 
common  stock,  proceeds  thus  : — 

"  In  order,  however,  to  settle  this  question  completely, 
let  me  mention  a  few  of  the  anatomical  points  in  which  the 
orang-otang  differs  from  the  human  form,  and  which  can- 
not possibly  be  the  effect  of  a  mere  variety,  but  must  ne- 
cessarily flow  from  an  original  and  inherent  distinction. 
More  might  be  added,  but  what  I  shall  offer  will  be  suf- 
ficient ;  and  if  I  do  not  touch  upon  a  comparison  of  the 
interior  faculties,  it  is  merely  because  I  will  not  insult 
your  understandings,  nor  degrade  my  own,  by  bringing 
them  into  any  kind  of  contact. 

"  Both  the  orang  and  pongo,  which  of  all  the  monkey 
tribes  make  the  nearest  approach  to  the  structure  of  the 
human  skeleton,  have  three  vertebrae  fewer  than  man. 
They  have  a  peculiar  membranous  pouch  connected  with 
the  larynx  or  organ  of  the  voice,  which  belongs  to  no  divi- 
sion of  man  whatever,  white  or  black.  The  larynx  itself, 
is,  in  consequence  of  this,  so  peculiarly  constructed  as  to 
render  it  less  capable  even  of  inarticulate  sounds,  than 
that  of  almost  every  other  kind  of  quadruped  :  and,  last- 
ly, they  have  no  proper  feet ;  for  what  are  so  called,  are, 
in  reality,  as  directly  hands  as  the  terminal  organs  of  the 
arms :  the  great  toe  in  m:m,  and  that  which  chiefly  ena- 
bles him  to  walk  in  an  erect  position,  being  a  perfect 
thumb  in  the  orang-otang.  Whence  this  animal  is  natu- 
rally formed  for  climbing  :  and  its  natural  position  in 
walking,  and  the  position  which  it  always  assumes,  except- 
ing when  under  discipline,  is  that  of  all-fours  ;  the  body 
being  supported  on  four  hands,  instead  of  on  four  feet  as 
15 


170  ACCOUNT    OP    THE    WORKS    OP 

in  quadrupeds.  And  it  is  owing  to  this  wide  and  essen- 
tial difference,  as,  indeed,  we  had  occasion  to  observe  in 
our  last  study,  that  M.  Cuvier,  and  other  zoologists  of  the 
present  day,  have  thought  it  expedient  to  invent  a  new 
name  by  which  the  monkey  and  maucaco  tribes  may  be 
distinguished  from  all  the  rest;  and,  instead  of  QUADRU- 
PEDS, have  called  them  QUADRUMANA,or  QUADRUMANUALS  ; 
by  which  they  are  at  the  same  time  equally  distinguished 
from  every  tribe  of  the  human  race,  which  are  uniformly, 
and  alone,  BI MANUAL. 

"  But  throwing  the  monkey  kind  out  of  the  question,  as 
in  no  respect  related  to  the  race  of  man,  it  must  at  least 
be  admitted,  contend  the  second  class  of  philosophers  be- 
fore us,  that  the  wide  differences  in  form,  and  color,  and 
degree  of  intellect,  which  the  several  divisions  of  mankind 
exhibit,  as  you  have  now  arranged  them,  must  necessa- 
rily have  originated  from  different  sources  ;  and  that  even 
the  Mosaic  account  itself  will  afford  countenance  to  such 
a  hypothesis. 

"  This  opinion  was  first  stated,  in  modern  times,  by  the 
celebrated  Isaac  Peyrere,  librarian  to  the  Prince  of 
Conde  ;  who,  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  con- 
tended, in  a  book  which  was  not  long  afterwards  con- 
demned to  the  flames,  though  for  other  errors  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  present,  that  the  narration  of  Moses  speaks 
expressly  of  the  creation  of  two  distinct  species  of  man — 
an  elder  species  which  occupied  a  part  of  the  sixth  day's 
creation,  and  is  related  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis ; 
and  a  junior,  confined  to  Adam  and  Eve,  the  immediate 
progenitors  of  the  Hebrews,  to  whom  this  account  was 
addressed  ;  and  which  is  not  referred  to  till  the  seventh 
verse  of  the  second  chapter,  and  even  then  without  any 
notice  of  the  exact  period  in  which  they  were  formed. 
After  which  transaction,  observe  this  writer  and  those 
who  think  with  him,  the  historian  confines  himself  en- 
tirely to  the  annals  of  his  own  nation,  or  of  those  which 
were  occasionally  connected  with  it.  Neither  is  it  easy, 
they  adjoin,  to  conceive,  upon  any  other  explanation,  how 
Cain,  in  so  early  a  period  of  the  world  as  is  usually  laid 
down,  could  have  been  possessed  of  the  implements  of 
husbandry  which  belonged  to  him  ;  or,  what  is  meant  by 
the  fear  he  expressed,  upon  leaving  his  father's  family, 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  171 

after  the  murder  of  Abel,  that  every  one  who  found  him 
would  slay  him  ;  or,  again,  his  going  forth  into  another 
country,  marrying  a  wife  there,  and  building  a  city  soon 
after  the  birth  of  his  eldest  son. 

"  Now,  a  cautious  perusal  of  the  Mosaic  narrative,  will, 
I  think,  incontestably  prove  that  the  two  accounts  of  the 
creation  of  man  refer  to  one  and  the  same  fact,  to  which 
the  historian  merely  returns,  in  the  seventh  verse  of  the 
second  chapter,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  it  a  more  de- 
tailed consideration  ;  for  it  is  expressly  asserted  in  the 
fifth,  or  preceding  verse  but  one,  as  the  immediate 
reason  for  the  creation  of  Adam  and  Eve,  that  at  that 
'  time  there  was  not  a  man  to  till  the  ground  ;'  while,  as 
to  the  existence  of  artificers  competent  to  the  formation 
of  the  first  rude  instruments  employed  in  husbandry,  and 
a  few  patches  of  mankind  scattered  over  the  regions  ad- 
joining that  in  which  Cain  resided  at  the  period  of  his  fra- 
tricide, it  should  be  recollected  that  thisjfirst  fall  of  man  by 
the  hand  of  man,  did  not  take  place  till  a  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  years  after  the  creation  of  Adam  ;  for  it  was 
in  his  one  hundred  and  thirtieth  year,  that  Setli  was  given 
to  him  in  the  place  of  Abel  :  an  interval  of  time  amply 
sufficient,  especially  if  we  take  into  consideration  the  pe- 
culiar fecundity  of  both  animals  and  vegetables  in  their 
primaeval  state,  for  a  multiplication  of  the  race  of  man  to 
an  extent  of  many  thousand  souls. 

"  On  such  a  view  of  the  subject,  therefore,  it  should 
seem  that  the  only  fair  and  explicit  interpretation  that 
can  be  given  to  the  Mosaic  history  is,  that  the  whole  hu- 
man race  has  proceeded  from  one  single  pair,  or,  in  the 
words  of  another  part  of  the  Sacred  Writings,  '  that  God 
hath  made  of  ONE  BLOOD  all  nations  of  men  for  to  dwell 
on  all  the  face  of  the  earth.'*  The  book  of  Nature,  is 
in  this,  as  in  every  other  respect,  in  union  with  that  of 
Revelation :  it  tells  us  that  one  single  pair  must  have 
been  adequate  to  all  the  purposes  on  which  this  class  of 
philosophers  have  grounded  their  objections  :  and  it 
should  be  further  observed  to  them,  that  thus  to  multiply 
causes  without  necessity,  is  not  more  inconsistent  with 
the  operations  of  nature,  than  with  the  principles  of 
genuine  philosophy. 

*  Acts  xviii.  26. 


172  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

"  But  the  question  still  returns  :  whence,  then,  proceed 
those  astonishing  diversities  among  the  different  nations 
of  mankind,  upon  which  the  arrangement  now  offered  is 
founded  ? 

''The  answer  is,  that  they  are  the  effect  of  a  combi- 
nation of  causes ;  some  of  which  are  obvious,  others  of 
which  must  be  conjectured,  and  a  few  of  which  are  be- 
yond the  reach  of  human  comprehension — but  all  of 
which  are  common  to  other  animals,  as  well  as  to  man  ; 
for  extraordinary  as  these  diversities  may  appear,  they  are 
equally  to  be  met  with  in  the  varieties  of  several  other 
kinds  of  animals,  that  can  be  proved  to  have  been  pro- 
duced from  a  single  species,  arid,  in  one  or  two  instances, 
from  a  single  pair. 

"  The  chief  causes  we  are  acquainted  with  are  the  four 
following :  climate,  food,  manner  of  life,  and  hereditary 
diseases. 

"I.  The  influence  which  CLIMATE  principally  produces 
on  the  animal  frame  is  on  the  color  of  the  skin  and  on 
the  extent  of  the  stature.  All  the  deepest  colors  we  are 
acquainted  with  are  those  of  hot  climates ;  and  all  the 
lightest  those  of  cold  ones.  In  our  own  country  we  per- 
ceive daily,  that  an  exposure  to  the  rays  of  the  sun  turns 
the  skin  from  its  natural  whiteness  to  a  deep  brown  or 
tan;  and  that  a  seclusion  from  the  sun  keeps  it  fair  and 
unfreckled.  In  like  manner,  the  tree-frog  (rana  arbo- 
red)  while  living  in  the  shade  is  of  a  light  yellow,  but  of  a 
dark  green  when  he  is  obliged  to  shift  from  the  shade 
into  the  sunshine.  To  the  nereis  lacustris,  though 
whitish  under  the  darkness  of  a  projecting  bank,  is  red 
when  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays.  And  that  the  larves  of 
most  insects  that  burrow  in  the  cavities  of  the  earth,  of 
plants,  or  of  animals,  are  white,  from  the  same  cause,  is 
clear,  since  being  confined  under  glasses  that  admit  the 
influence  of  solar  light,  they  exchange  their  whiteness 
for  a  brownish  hue. 

"  The  same  remark  will  apply  to  plants  as  well  as  to 
animals  ;  and  hence  nothing  more  is  necessary  to  bleach 
or  whiten  them,  than  to  exclude  them  from  the  light  of 
day.  Hence  the  birds,  beasts,  flowers,  and  even  fishes 
of  the  equatorial  regions,  are  uniformly  brighter  or  deeper 
tinctured  in  their  spots,  their  feathers,  their  petals,  and 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  173 

their  scales,  than  we  find  them  in  any  other  part  of  the 
world.  And  hence  one  reason  at  least  for  the  deep  jet 
which,  for  the  most  part,  prevails  among  mankind  under 
the  equator  ;  the  dark-brown  and  copper-colors  found  un- 
der the  tropics ;  and  the  olive,  shifting  through  every  in- 
termediate shade  to  the  fair  and  sanguine  complexion,  as 
we  proceed  from  the  tropic  of  Cancer  northwards.  Hence, 
too,  the  reason  why  the  Asiatic  and  African  women,  con- 
fined to  the  walls  of  their  seraglios,  are  as  white  as  Euro- 
peans ;  why  Moorish  children,  of  both  sexes,  are,  at  first, 
equally  fair,  and  why  the  fairness  continues  among  the 
girls,  but  is  soon  lost  among  the  boys. 

"  As  we  approach  the  poles,  on  the  contrary,  we  find 
everything  progressively  whiten  ;  bears,  foxes,  hares,  fal- 
cons, crows,  and  blackbirds,  all  assume  the  same  com- 
mon livery  ;  while  many  of  them  change  their  color  with 
the  change  of  the  season  itself.  For  the  same  reason,  as 
also  because  they  have  a  thinner  mucous  web,  the  Abys- 
sinians  are  less  deep  in  color  than  the  negro  race ;  for 
though  their  geographical  climate  is  nearly  the  same,  their 
physical  climate  differs  essentially :  the  country  stands 
much  higher,  and  its  temperature  is  far  lower. 

"  The  immediate  matter  of  color,  as  I  had  occasion  to 
observe  more  fully  in  a  preceding  lecture,  is  the  mucous 
pigment  which  forms  the  middle  layer  of  the  general  in- 
tegument of  the  skin  ;  and  upon  this,  the  sun,  in  hot  cli- 
mates, appears  to  act  in  a  two-fold  manner ;  first,  by  the 
direct  affinity  of  its  colorific  rays  with  the  oxygene  of  the 
animal  surface,  in  consequence  of  which  the  oxygene  is 
detached  and  flies  off;  and  the  carbone  and  hydrogene 
being  set  at  liberty,  form  a  more  or  less  perfect  charcoal, 
according  to  the  nature  of  their  union ;  and  next,  by  the 
indirect  influence  which  its  calorific  rays,  like  many  other 
stimulants,  produce  upon  the  liver,  by  exciting  it  to  a  se- 
cretion of  more  abundant  bile,  and  of  a  deeper  hue:  I 
have  formerly  remarked,  that  this  second  or  coloring  layer 
of  the  general  integument  of  the  skin,  differs  (as  indeed 
all  the  layers  of  the  skin  do)  in  their  thickness,  not  only 
in  different  kinds  of  animals,  but  very  frequently  in  dif- 
ferent species,  varieties,  and  even  individuals.  Thus,  in 
our  own  country  we  find  it  more  abundant  in  some  per- 
sons than  in  others ;  and  wherever  it  is  most  abundant, 
*15 


174  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

we  find  the  complexion  also  of  a  darker,  and  coarser,  and 
greasier  appearance,  upon  a  common  exposure  to  the  so- 
lar light  and  heat;  and  we  find  also,  that  the  hair  is  al- 
most uniformly  influenced  by  such  increase  of  color,  and 
is  proportionally  coarser  and  darker. 

"  It  is  of  some  consequence  to  attend  to  this  observa- 
tion ;  for  it  may  serve  to  explain  a  physiological  fact  that 
has  hitherto  been  supposed  of  difficult  elucidation. 

"  A  certain  degree  of  heat,  though  less  than  that  of 
the  tropics,  appears  favorable  to  increase  of  stature  ;  and 
I  have  already  observed,  that  the  tallest  tribes  we  are  ac- 
quainted with  are  situated  at  the  back  of  Cape  Horn,  and 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  On  the  contrary,  the  most  di- 
minutive we  are  acquainted  with  are  those  that  inhabit 
the  coldest  regions  or  the  highest  mountains  in  the  world  : 
such  are  the  Laplanders  and  Nova  Zemblians  in  Europe, 
the  Samoieds,  Ostiacs,  and  Tungooses  in  Asia,  and  the 
Greenlanders  and  Eskimaux  in  America.  Such,  too,  are 
the  Kimos  of  Madagascar,  if  the  account  of  these  pigmy 
people  may  be  depended  upon,  whose  native  region  is 
stated  to  be  the  central  and  highest  tracts  of  the  island, 
forming,  according  to  Commerson,  an  elevation  of  not 
less  than  sixteen  or  eighteen  hundred  fathoms  above  the 
level  of  the  sea. 

"  A  multitude  of  distinct  tribes  have  of  late  years  been 
discovered  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  in  the  midst  of  the 
black  tribes,  exhibiting  nothing  more  than  a  red  or  cop- 
per hue,  with  lank  black  hair.  And,  in  like  manner, 
around  the  banks  of  the  Lower  Orinoco,  in  Mexico,  where 
the  climate  is  much  hotter,  there  are  many  clans  of  a 
much  lighter  hue  than  those  around  the  banks  of  the  Rio 
Negro,  where  it  is  much  cooler  ;  and  M.  Humboldt  has 
hence  ventured  to  assert  that  we  have  here  a  full  proof 
that  climate  produces  no  effect  upon  the  color  of  the  skin. 
Such  an  assertion,  however,  is  far  too  hasty;  for  he 
should  first  have  shown  that  the  thickness  of  the  mucous 
web,  or  coloring  material,  is  equally  abundant  in  all  these 
instances.  For  if  it  be  more  abundant  (as  it  probably  is) 
in  the  tribes  that  are  swarthiest,  we  have  reason  to  expect 
that  a  swarthier  color  will  be  found  where  there  is  an 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  175 

equal,  or  even  a  less  exposure  to  solar  light  and  heat ; 
and  we  well  know  that  the  hair  will  vary  in  proportion.* 

"  II.  The  effects  of  DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  FOOD  upon 
the  animal  system  are  as  extensive  and  as  wonderful  as 
those  of  different  climates.  The  fineness  and  coarseness 
of  the  wool  or  hair,  the  firmness  and  flavor  of  the  flesh, 
and  in  some  degree  the  color  of  the  skin,  and  extent  of 
the  stature,  are  all  influenced  by  the  nature  of  the  diet. 
Oils  and  spirits  produce  a  peculiar  excitement  of  the 
liver  ;  and  like  the  calorific  rays  of  the  sun,  usually  be- 
come the  means  of  throwing  an  overcharge  of  bile  into  the 
circulation.  Hence  the  sallow  and  olive  hue  of  many  who 
unduly  addict  themselves  to  vinous  potation,  and  who,  at 
the  same  time,  make  use  of  but  little  exercise.  And 
hence  also  the  dark  and  dingy  color  of  the  pigmy  people 
inhabiting  high  northern  latitudes,  to  whom  we  have  just 
adverted,  and  whose  usual  diet  consists  of  fish  and  other 
oils,  often  rancid  and  offensive.  Though  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  this  color  is  in  most  instances  aided  by  the 
clouds  of  smoke  in  which  they  sit  constantly  involved  in 
their  wretched  cabins,  and  the  filth  and  grease  with 
which  they  often  besmear  their  skins.  And  hence,  also, 
one  cause  of  their  diminutive  stature ;  the  food  they  feed 
on  beinii  unassitnilating  and  innutritive.  Swine  and  all 
other  animals  fed  on  madder-root,  or  that  of  gallium 
rernm,  or  yellow-ladies-bed-straw,  have  the  bones  them- 
selves tinged  of  a  deep  red,  or  a  yellow;  and  M.  Huber 
of  Lausanne,  who  has  of  late  years  made  so  many  valua- 
ble discoveries  in  the  natural  habits  of  the  honey-bee,  has 
proved  himself  able,  by  a  difference  in  the  food  alone,  as 
indeed  Debraw  had  done  long  before  him,t  to  convert  what 
is  commonly,  but  improperly,  called  a  neuter  into  a  queen 
bee. 

"  III.  It  would  be  superfluous  to  dwell  on  the  changes 
of  body  and  perceptive  powers  produced  in  the  animal 
system  by  a  DIFFERENCE  IN  THE  MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 
We  have  the  most  striking  proofs  of  this  effect  in  all 
the  domesticated  animals  by  which  we  are  surrounded. 
Compare  the  wild  horse  with  the  disciplined ;  the  bison 

*  See  Essai  Politique  sur  la  Nouvellc  Espa^ne,  par  Alexandre  de  Hum- 
boldt,  &.c.  pp.  84,  85.  4to.      Paris,  1808,  1809. 
t  See  Phil.  Trans,  for  1777,  p.  15. 


176  ACCOUNT   OF   THE   W  OttKS   OF 

with  the  ox,  which  last  is  usually  regarded  as  the  bison  in 
a  state  of  lameness  ;  and  the  Siberian  argali  with  the 
sheep,  which  is  said  to  have  sprung  from  it.  Compare 
the  modern  Romans  with  the  ancient ;  the  low  cunning 
and  servile  temper  of  too  many  of  the  Greek  tribes  of  the 
present  day,  that  still  bend  to  and  kiss  the  Ottoman  rod, 
with  the  noble  courage  and  patriotic  enthusiasm  of  their 
forefathers,  who  drove  back  the  tyrant  of  Persia  and  his 
million  of  men  across  the  Hellespont,  and  dashed  to 
pieces  the  proud  bridge  with  which  he  boasted  of  having 
conquered  the  billows. 

"  It  is  in  reality  from  long  and  deeply  rooted  habit 
alone  that  the  black,  red,  and  olive  color  of  the  Ethiopian, 
American,  and  Moguls,  is  continued  in  the  future  lineage 
for  so  many  generations  after  their  removal  into  other 
parts  of  the  world  ;  and  that  nothing  will,  in  general,  re- 
store the  skin  to  its  original  fairness,  but  a  long  succession 
of  intermixtures  with  the  European  variety.  It  is  a  sin- 
gular circumstance  that  the  black  color  appears  to  form  a 
less  permanent  habit  than  the  red  or  olive ;  or  in  other 
words,  the  color  chiefly  produced  by  the  action  of  the 
sun's  colorific  rays,  than  that  produced  by  the  action  of 
its  calorific  rays :  for  the  children  of  olive  and  copper- 
colored  parents  exhibit  the  parental  hue  from  the  moment 
of  birth  ;  but  in  those  of  blacks  it  is  usually  six,  eight,  or 
ten  months  before  the  black  pigment  is  fully  secreted. 
We  also  sometimes  find  this  not  secreted  at  all,  whence 
the  anomaly  of  white  negroes  :  and  sometimes  only  in 
interrupted  lines  or  patches,  whence  the  anomaly  of  spot- 
ted negroes  ;  and  we  have  even  a  few  rare  cases  of  ne- 
groes in  America,  who,  in  consequence  of  very  severe 
illness,  have  had  the  whole  of  the  black  pigment  absorbed 
and  carried  ofF,  and  a  white  pigment  diffused  in  its  stead. 
In  other  words,  we  have  instances  of  a  black  man  being 
suddenly  bleached  into  a  white  man.  These  instances 
are  indeed  of  rare  occurrence  ;  but  they  are  sufficient  to 
shew  the  absurdity  of  the  argument  for  a  plurality  of  hu- 
man stocks  or  species,  from  a  mere  difference  in  the 
color  of  the  skin ;  an  argument  thus  proved  to  be 
altogether  superficial,  and  which  we  may  gravely  assert 
to  be  not  more  than  skin-deep. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  177 

"It  is  in  consequence  of  this  power  in  the  system,  of 
secreting  a  dark-colored  pigment  under  particular  cir- 
cumstances, that  we  not  unfrequently  see  the  skin  of 
very  fair  women,  when  in  a  state  of  pregnancy,  changed 
to  a  deep  tawny,  and  almost  to  a  black  ;  and  it  is  hence 
that  the  black  pigment  of  the  eye  is  perpetually  main- 
tained and  replenished.* 

"  Dr.  Wells  gave  a  paper  to  the  Royal  Society,  which 
was  read  April  1,  1813,  containing  an  account  of  a  wo- 
man (Harriet  Tresh)  '  whose  left  shoulder,  arm,  and 
hand,  are  as  black  as  the  blackest  African's,  while  all 
the  rest  of  the  skin  is  very  white.  She  is  a  native  of 
Sussex,  and  the  cause  she  assigns  is,  that  her  mother 
set  her  foot  upon  a  lobster  during  her  pregnancy.'  So 
that  we  have  not  only  instances  of  blacks  being  suddenly 
bleached,  but  of  whites  being  made  more  or  less  black. 
In  like  manner,  confined  birds  sometimes  become  wholly 
black  ;  and  are  said  to  become  so,  occasionally,  in  the 
course  of  a  single  night.  So  the  male  kestrel,  from  being 
barred  on  the  tail  feathers,  becomes  wholly  ash-colored 
except  at  the  end ;  and  the  heron,  gull,  and  others, 
whose  tail  is  white  when  matured,  are  for  the  first  two 
years  mottled. 

"  IV.  But  it  is  probable  that  a  very  great  part  of  the 
more  striking  distinctions  we  have  noticed,  and  almost 
all  the  subordinate  variations  occasionally  to  be  met  with, 
are  the  result  of  a  MORBID  AND  HEREDITARY  AFFECTION. 
The  vast  influence  which  this  recondite  but  active  cause 
possesses  over  both  the  body  and  the  mind,  are  known  in 
some  degree  to  every  one  from  facts  that  are  daily  pre- 
senting themselves  to  us.  We  see  gout,  consumption, 
scrofula,  leprosy,  propagated  on  various  occasions,  and 
madness  and  fatuity,  and  hypochondriacal  affections,  as 
frequently.  Hence  the  unhappy  race  of  Albinoes,  and 
whole  pedigrees  of  white  negroes ;  hence  the  pigmy 
stature  of  some  families,  and  the  gigantic  size  of  others. 

"  Even  when  accident,  or  a  cause  we  cannot  discover, 
has  produced  a  preternatural  conformation  or  defect  in  a 
particular  organ,  it  is  astonishing  to  behold  how  readily  it 
is  often  copied  by  the  generative  principle,  and  how  tena- 

*  Camper's  Lect.  on  Comp.  Anat.  in  regard  to  the  Art  of  Drawing. 


178  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  WORKS  OP 

ciously  it  adheres  to  the  future  lineage.  A  preternatural 
defect  of  the  hand  or  foot  has  been  propagated  for  many 
generations,  and  has  in  numerous  instances  laid  a  foun- 
dation for  the  family  name.  The  name  of  Varus  and 
Plautus  among  the  ancient  Romans  afford  familiar  exem- 
plifications. Hence,  hornless  sheep  and  hornless  oxen 
produce  an  equally  hornless  offspring ;  the  broad-tailed 
Asiatic  sheep  yields  a  progeny  with  a  tail  equally  mon- 
strous, and  often  of  not  less  than  half  a  hundred  pounds' 
weight ;  and  dogs  and  cats  with  mutilated  tails  not  un- 
frequently  propagate  the  casual  deficiency. 

"  There  is  a  very  peculiar  variety  of  the  sheep  kind 
given  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions  for  1813,  by 
Colonel  Humphreys  of  America,  and  which  the  American 
naturalists  have  called,  from  its  bowed  or  elbowy  legs, 
ovis«?ie0n:  but  the  common  people  the  "otter-breed," 
from  its  resemblance  to  the  general  form  of  the  otter, 
and  a  rumor  that  it  was  at  first  produced  by  an  unnatu- 
ral intercourse  between  individuals  of  the  two  distinct 
kinds.  Its  size  is  small ;  the  full  weight  being  about 
451b.  with  loose  articulations,  crooked  fore-legs,  and 
great  feebleness  of  power  ;  whence  it  walks  with  difficulty, 
and  is  therefore  quiet,  and  not  fond  of  rambling.  Acci- 
dent seems  to  have  produced  this  kind  first,  but  the  form 
has  been  most  correctly  preserved  in  the  progeny  ;  and  so 
tenaciously,  that  if  a  common  sheep  and  ancon  sheep  of 
either  sex  unite,  the  young  will  be  either  a  perfect  ancon, 
or  have  no  trace  of  it ;  and  if  two  are  lambed  at  the  same 
time,  and  one  be  of  one  variety  and  the  other  of  the  other, 
each  is  found  to  be  perfect  in  its  way,  without  any 
amalgamation. 

"  In  like  manner,  in  all  probability,  from  some  primary 
accident  resulted  the  peculiar  shape  of  the  head  and  face 
in;niost  nations  as  well  as  jn  most  families  ;  and  hence 
too  those  enormous  prominences  on  the  hinder  parts  of 
one  or  two  of  the  nations  at  the  back  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  of  which  an  instance  was  not  long  since  ex- 
hibited in  this  country  with  some  degree  of  outrage  on 
moral  feeling. 

"  Man,  then,  is  not  the  only  animal  in  which  such 
variations  gf  form  and  feature  occur ;  nor  the  animal  in 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  179 

which  they  occur  either  most  frequently  or  in  the  most 
extraordinary  and  extravagant  manner. 

"  M.  Blumenhach,  who  has  pursued  this  interesting 
subject  with  a  liveliness  the  most  entertaining,  and  a 
chain  of  argument  the  most  convincing,  has  selected  the 
swine  genus  from  among  many  other  quadrupeds  that 
would  have  answered  as  well,  especially  the  dog  and  the 
sheep,  in  order  to  institute  a  comparison  of  this  very  kind  : 
and  he  has  completely  succeeded  in  shewing  that  the 
swine,  even  in  countries  where  we  have  historical  and 
undeniable  proofs,  as  especially  in  America,  of  its  being 
derived  from  one  common  and  imported  stock,  exhibits, 
in  its  different  varieties,  distinctions  not  only  as  numer- 
ous and  astonishing,  but,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  exterior 
frame,  of  the  very  same  kind  as  are  to  be  met  with  in  the 
different  varieties  of  the  human  species. 

"  In  regard  to  size,  the  Cuba  swine,  well  known,  as 
he  observes,  to  have  been  imported  into  that  island  from 
Europe,  are  at  the  present  day  double  the  height  and 
magnitude  of  the  stock  from  which  they  were  bred. 
Whence  we  may  well  laugh  at  every  argument  in 
favor  of  more  than  one  human  stock  or  species  drawn 
from  the  difference  of  stature  in  different  nations  of  man. 
In  regard  to  color,  they  display  at  least  as  great  a  diversi- 
ty. In  Piedmont  the  swine  are  black  ;  in  Bavaria  red- 
dish-brown ;  in  Normandy  white.  Human  hair,  observes 
M.  Blumenbach,  is  somewhat  different  from  swine's  bris- 
tles ;  yet  in  the  present  point  of  view  they  may  be  com- 
pared with  each  other.  Fair  hair  is  soft,  and  of  a  silky 
texture  ;  black  hair  is  coarser,  and  often  woolly.  In  like 
manner,  among  the  white  swine  in  Normandy,  the  bris- 
tles on  the  body  are  longer  and  softer  than  among  other 
swine ;  and  even  those  on  the  back,  which  are  usually 
stouter  than  the  rest,  are  flaccid  and  cannot  be  employed 
by  the  brush-makers. 

"  The  whole  difference  between  the  cranium  of  a 
Negro  and  that  of  an  European  is  in  no  respect  greater 
than  that  which  exists  between  the  cranium  of  the  wild 
boar  and  that  of  the  domestic  swine.  Those  who  are  in 
possession  of  Daubenton's  drawings  of  the  two,  mustjbe 
sensible  of  this,  the  fust  moment  they  compare  them  to- 
gether. The  peculiarity  among  the  Hindus  of  having  the 


180  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

bone  of  the  leg  remarkably  long,  meets  a  precise  parallel 
in  the  swine  of  Normandy,  which  stand  so  high  on  their 
hind  quarters,  that  the  back  forms  an  inclined  plane  to 
the  head ;  and  as  the  head  itself  partakes  of  the  same 
direction,  the  snout  is  but  a  little  removed  from  the 
ground. 

"  In  some  countries,  indeed,  the  swine  have  degenerated 
into  races  that  in  singularity  far  exceed  the  most  extrava- 
gant variations  that  have  been  found  among  the  human 
species.  What  can  differ  more  widely  than  a  cloven 
foot  and  a  solid  hoof?  Yet  swine  are  found  with  both  ; 
the  variety  with  a  solid  hoof  was  known  to  the  ancients, 
and  still  exists  in  Hungary  and  Sweden ;  and  even  the 
common  sort,  that  were  carried  by  the  Spaniards  to  the 
isle  of  Cuba  in  1509,  have  since  degenerated  into  a  varie- 
ty with  a  hoof  of  the  same  solid  kind,  and  of  the  enor- 
mous size  of  not  less  than  half  a  span  in  diameter. 

"  How  absurd,  then,  to  contend  that  the  distinctions 
in  the  different  varieties  of  the  human  race  must  have 
proceeded  from  a  plurality  of  species,  while  we  are  com- 
pelled to  admit  that  distinctions  of  a  similar  kind,  but 
more  numerous  and  more  extravagant,  have  proceeded 
from  a  single  species  in  other  animals. 

"  It  may  appear  singular,  perhaps,  that  1  have  taken  no 
notice  of  the  wide  difference  which  is  supposed  to  exist 
in  the  intellectual  faculties  of  the  different  species  of  man. 
To  confess  the  truth,  I  have  purposely  omitted  it,  be- 
cause of  all  the  arguments  that  have  ever  been  offered  to 
support  the  doctrine  of  different  species,  this  appears  to 
me  the  feeblest  and  most  superficial.  It  may  suit  the 
narrow  purpose  of  a  slave  merchant — of  a  trafficker  in 
human  nerves  and  muscles — of  a  wretch,  who,  in  equal 
defiance  of  the  feelings  and  the  laws  of  the  day,  has  the 
impudence  to  offer  for  sale,  on  the  polluted  shores  of  our 
own  country,  in  one  and  the  same  lot,  as  was  the  case 
not  long  since,  a  dead  cameleopard  and  a  living  Hotten- 
tot woman  : — it  may  suit  their  purpose  to  introduce  such 
a  distinction  into  their  creed,  and  to  let  it  constitute  the 
whole  of  their  creed,  but  it  is  a  distinction  too  trifling 
and  evanescent  to  claim  the  notice  of  a  physiologist  for 
a  moment. 

"  The  variable  talents  of  the  mind  are  as  propagable 
as  the  variable  features  of  the  body, — how,  or  by  what 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  181 

means,  we  know  not, — but  the  fact  is  incontrovertible. 
Wit  and  dulness,  genius  and  idiotism,  run  in  direct 
streams  from  generation  to  generation  ;  and  hence  the 
moral  character  of  families,  of  tribes,  of  whole  nations. 
The  understanding  of  the  Negro  race,  it  is  admitted,  is 
in  many  tribes  strikingly  and  habitually  obtuse.  It  has 
thus,  indeed,  been  propagated  for  a  long  succession  of 
ages  ;  and  till  the  Negro  mind  receives  a  new  turn,  till  it 
becomes  cultivated  and  called  forth  into  action  by  some 
such  benevolent  stimulus  as  that  which  is  now  abroad 
generally,  and  especially  such  as  is  afforded  it  by  the 
African  Institution  of  our  own  country,  (an  establish- 
ment that  ought  never  to  be  mentioned  without  rever- 
ence,) the  same  obtuseness  must  necessarily  continue, 
and,  by  a  prolongation  of  the  habit,  may  perhaps  even 
increase.  But  let  the  man  who  would  argue  from  this 
single  fact,  that  the  race  of  negroes  must  be  necessarily 
an  inferior  species,  distinct  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world, 
compare  the  taste,  the  talents,  the  genius,  the  erudition, 
that  have  at  different  periods  blazed  forth  in  different  in- 
dividuals of  this  despised  people,  when  placed  under  the 
fostering  providence  of  kindness  and  cultivation,  with  his 
own,  or  those  of  the  generality  of  his  own  countrymen, 
and  let  him  blush  for  the  mistake  he  has  made,  and  the 
injury  he  has  committed. 

"  Freidig,  of  Vienna,  was  an  excellent  architect,  and  a 
capital  performer  on  the  violin  ;  Hannibal  was  not  only 
a  colonel  of  artillery  in  the  Russian  service,  but  deeply 
skilled  in  the  mathematical  and  physical  sciences ;  so, 
too,  was  Lislet,  of  the  Isle  of  France,  who  was  in  conse- 
quence made  a  member  of  the  French  Academy ;  and 
Arno,  who  was  honored  with  a  diploma  of  doctor  of  phi- 
losophy by  the  university  of  Wirtemberg,  in  1734.  Let 
us  add  to  these  the  names  of  Vasa,  and  Ignatius  Sancho, 
whose  taste  and  genius  have  enriched  the  polite  literature 
of  our  own  country  :  and,  with  such  examples  of  negro 
powers  before  us,  is  it  possible  to  do  otherwise  than  adopt 
the  very  just  observation  of  a  very  quaint  orator,  who  has 
told  us  that  the  '  Negro,  like  the  white  man,  is  still  God's 
image,  although  carved  in  ebony  ?' 

"  Nor  is  it  to  a  few  casual  individuals  among  the  black 
tribes,  appearing  in  distant  countries,  and  at  distant  aeras 
16 


182  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OP 

that  we  have  to  look  for  the  clearest  proofs  of  human 
intelligence.  At  this  moment,  scattered  like  their  own 
oases,  their  islands  of  beautiful  verdure,  over  the  eastern 
and  western  deserts  of  Africa,  multitudes  of  little  princi- 
palities of  negroes  are  still  existing, — multitudes  that 
have,  of  late  years,  been  detected,  and  are  still  detecting, 
whose  national  virtues  would  do  honor  to  the  most  pol- 
ished states  of  Europe :  while  at  Timbuctoo,  stretching 
deepest  towards  the  east  of  these  principalities,  from  the 
western  coast,  we  meet,  if  we  may  credit  the  accounts  we 
have  received,  with  one  of  the  wealthiest,  perhaps  one  of  the 
most  populous  and  best  governed,  cities  in  the  world  ;  its 
sovereign  a  Negro,  its  army  Negroes,  its  people  Negroes ; 
a  city  which  is  the  general  mart  for  the  commerce  of 
Western  Africa,  and  where  trade  and  manufactures 
seem  to  be  equally  esteemed  and  protected.* 

"  We  know  not  the  antiquity  of  this  kingdom  :  but  there 
can  be  no  doubt  of  its  having  a  just  claim  to  a  very  high 
origin  :  and  it  is  possible  that,  at  the  very  period  in  which 
our  own  ancestors,  as  described  by  Julius  Caesar,  were 
naked  and  smeared  over  with  paint,  or  merely  clothed 
with  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  living  in  huts,  and  \vor- 

*  I  follow  Mr.  Jackson's  description,  which  is  added  to  his  "  Account  of 
the  Empire  of  Marocco,"  as  by  far  ilie  most  circumstantial  and  authorita- 
tive we  have  hitherto  received.  According  to  him  "  the  city  is  situated  on 
a  plain,  surrounded  by  a  sandy  eminence,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  the 
Nile  El  Abeade,  or  Nile  of  the  Blacks;  and  three  days'  journey  (erfael)at) 
from  the  confines  of  Sahara ;  about  twelve  miles  in  circumference,  but 
without  walls.  The  town  of  Kabra,  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  is 
its  commercial  depot  or  port.  The  king1  is  the  sovereign  of  Bambarra  : 
the  name  of  this  potentate,  in  1800,  was  VV  oolo  :  he  is  a  black,  and  a  native 
of  the  country  he  governs.  His  usual  place  of  residence  is  Jiunic,  though 
he  has  three  palaces  in  Timbuctoo,  which  are  said  to  contain  an  immense 
quantity  of  gold." — The  present  military  appointments  arc,  it  seems,  entire- 
ly from  the  negroes  of  Bambarra  :  the  inhabitants  are  also,  for  the  most 
part,  Negroes,  who  possess  much  of  the  Arab  hospitality,  and  pride  them- 
selves in  being  attentive  to  strangers.  By  means  of  a  water-carriage,  east 
and  west  of  Kabra,  great  facility  is  given  to  the  trade  of  Timbuctoo.  which 
is  very  extensive,  as  well  in  European  as  in  Barbarv  manufactures-.  The 
various  costumes,  indeed,  exhibited  in  the  market-places  and  in  the  streets, 
sufficiently  indicate  this,  each  individual  being  liribiu-d  in  the  dress  of  his 
respective  country.  There  is  a  perfect  toleration  in  matters  of  religion, 
except  as  to  Jews.  The  police  is  extolled  as  surpassing  anything  of  the 
kind  on  this  side  the  Desert:  robberies  and  house-breaking  are  scarcely 
known.  The  government  of  the  city  is  entrusted  to  a  divan  of  twelve 
slemma.  or  magistrates ;  and  the  civil  jurisprudence  superintended  by  a 
learned  cadi. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  183 

shipping  the  misletoe,  the  black  kingdom  of  Bambarra,  of 
which  Timbuctoois  the  capital, was  as  completely  establish- 
ed and  flourishing  as  at  the  present  moment. 

"  What  has  produced  the  difference  we  now  behold? 
What  has  kept  the  Bambareens,  like  the  Chinese,  nearly 
in  an  invariable  state  for,  perhaps,  upwards  of  two  thousand 
years,  and  has  enabled  the  rude  and  painted  Britons  to 
become  the  first  people  of  the  world — the  most  renowned 
for  arts  and  for  arms — for  the  best  virtues  of  the  heart, 
and  the  best  faculties  of  the  understanding  1  Not  a  dif- 
ference in  the  color  of  the  skin  ; — but,  first,  the  peculiar 
favor  of  the  Almighty  ;  next,  a  political  constitution, 
which  was  sighed  for,  and  in  some  degree  prefigured,  by 
Plato  and  Tully,  but  regarded  as  a  masterpiece,  beyond 
the  power  of  human  accomplishment:  and,  lastly,  a  fond 
and  fostering  cultivation  of  science,  in  every  ramification 
and  department. 

"  Amidst  the  uproar  and  ruin  of  the  world  around  us, 
these  are  blessings  which  we  still  possess  ;  and  which  we 
possess  almost  exclusively.*  Let  us  prize  them  as  they 
deserve  ;  let  us  endeavor  to  be  worthy  of  them.  To  the 
great  benefit  resulting  from  literature  and  mental  culti- 
vation, the  age  is,  indeed,  thoroughly  awake ;  and  it  is 
consolatory  to  turn  from  the  sickening  scenes  of  the  con- 
tinent, and  fix  the  eye  in  this  point  of  view  upon  our 
native  spot;  to  behold  the  ingenuous  minds  of  multitudes 
laboring  with  the  desire  of  useful  knowledge  ;  to  con- 
template the  numerous  temples  that  are  rising  all  around 
us,  devoted  to  taste,  to  genius,  to  learning,  to  the  liberal 
arts  ;  and  to  mark  the  generous  confederacies  by  which 
they  are  supported  and  embellished."  Vol.  ii.  p.  113. 

TRANSLATION  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  PROVERBS. 

Dr.  Good's  peculiar  fondness  for  Hebrew  literature, 
and  for  the  noble  specimens  of  the  energy  and  sublimity 
of  that  language  contained  in  the  metrical  and  prophe- 
tical books  of  Scripture,  induced  him  for  several  years 
to  devote  some  part  of  almost  every  week  to  the  study  and 
translation  of  these  favorite  portions  of  the  Old  Testa- 

*  The  Lecture  was  delivered  in  1812. 


184  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

ment.  The  result  of  his  labors  on  "  the  Song  of  Songs" 
and  "  the  Book  of  Job"  are  before  the  public.  But 
much  of  his  attention  was  also  directed  to  the  Prophecies 
of  Ezekiel,  Joel,  Zechariah,  to  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes, 
&LC.  of  striking  passages  in  each  of  which  he  has  left 
translations.  During  the  years  1819,  1820,  and  1821, 
notwithstanding  the  occupation  of  his  time  in  his  great 
works  on  Nosology  and  the  Study  of  Medicine,  he  found 
leisure  to  complete  a  translation  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs, 
to  prepare  a  preliminary  dissertation  to  that  translation, 
and  a  great  number  of  critical,  theological,  and  illustra- 
tive notes.  The  manuscript  copy  of  these,  which  is  now 
before  me,  is  in  some  respects  incomplete,  not  having  re- 
ceived the  finishing  touch  of  the  author's  hand.  The 
notes  would,  doubtless,  have  been  considerably  modified, 
and  the  translation  in  a  few  respects  a  little  changed, 
before  he  would  have  allowed  them  to  meet  the  public 
eye.  Imperfect,  however,  as  the  annotations  are,  they 
exhibit,  like  those  in  some  of  the  author's  previous  works, 
an  astonishing  display  of  discursive  illustration ;  his  ardent 
mind  delighting  itself  in  gliding  over  the  fields  of  ancient 
and  modern  literature,  to  collect  treasures  of  wisdom,  and 
apply  them  to  the  purposes  of  genuine  elucidation. 

The  translation  differs  frequently  from  that  of  our 
authorized  version ;  more  frequently,  however,  in  appear- 
ance than  in  reality.  I  observe,  too,  that  in  some  essen- 
tial particulars  it  differs  greatly  from  Dr.  Boothroyd's,  the 
only  other  translation  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  with 
which  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  comparing  that  of  my 
deceased  friend. 

In  his  subdivisions  of  this  inspired  collection  of  apho- 
risms, Dr.  Good,  as  will  be  seen,  did  not  deviate  much 
from  the  most  judicious  of  preceding  commentators.  But 
his  introductory  dissertation  contains  several  valuable 
remarks  on  the  proverbial  sayings  of  all  nations  generally, 
and  on  those  of  the  Hebrews  in  particular.  It  compre- 
hends, moreover,  various  specimens  of  the  translation 
which  it  was  intended  to  precede.  I  shall,  therefore, 
insert  a  copious  extract,  which  as  it  explains  the  author's 
view  of  the  book  itself,  and  exhibits  his  version  of  several 
passages,  may  in  some  respects  conduce  to  the  better 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  185 

understanding  of  this  ancient  section  of  the  canonical 
scriptures. 

"  What  was  thus  popular  among  all  other  parts  of  the 
east,  was  popular,  also,  and  in  all  ages,  among  the  He- 
brews ;  from  whom  it  is  probable  that  the  taste  for  moral 
adages  was  first  derived :  and  in  the  book  of  Job  they 
have  handed  down  to  us  a  full  proof  that  the  same  taste 
prevailed  in  the  antediluvian  days,  and  a  rich  store  of  the 
moral  sayings  that  were  then  in  vogue.  The  speeches  of 
the  respective  interlocutors  in  this  extraordinary  poem  are 
in  many  instances  ornamented  with  citations  of  this  kind, 
and  some  of  them  are  composed  of  whole  strings  of  such 
citations ;  to  the  antiquity  of  which,  and  their  probable 
existence  before  the  flood,  the  speaker  frequently  appeals  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  them  a  stronger  claim  to  attention. 

"  The  same  tendency  to  characterize  or  illustrate  pass- 
ing facts  or  events  by  well  known  adages  of  great  anti- 
quity and  veneration  runs  through  all  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  is  occasionally  to  be  met  with  in  the 
new,  more  especially  in  the  condescending  and  colloquial 
intercourses  of  our  Saviour  with  those  around  him. 

"  The  book  we  are  now  entering  upon  is  made  up  en- 
tirely of  such  detached  and  sententious  passages  of  moral 
wisdom,  or  short  rules  of  life.  And  whether  we  regard 
the  force  of  its  diction,  the  variety  of  its  manner,  or  the 
extent  of  its  subject,  it  is  by  far  the  most  valuable  of  the 
kind  that  has  ever  been  offered  to  the  world  ;  and  is  well 
worthy  of  a  place  in  the  sacred  treasury  of  the  scriptures. 

"  The  Hebrew  title  of  the  work  ascribes  its  whole  con- 
tents to  Solomon  :  and  it  is  hence  most  probable  that  the 
entire  composition  was  furnished  by  his  own  hands  or 
mouth  :  the  latter  part  of  it,  from  the  beginning  of  the 
twenty-fifth  chapter,  forming  evidently  an  appendix,  was 
collected  after  his  death,  and  added  to  what  appears  to 
have  been  more  immediately  arranged  by  himself.  The 
materials  of  the  first  five  chapters  of  this  appendix  we  are 
distinctly  told  were  copied  out  of  comments  left  by  Solo- 
mon at  his  death,  apparently  in  the  archives  of  the  royal 
library  ;  the  copyists  being  the  scribes  or  other  confiden- 
tial officers  of  Hezekiah's  court,  supposed  by  Grotius, 
from  2  Kings  xviii.  18.,  to  have  been  Eliakim,  Shebnah, 
and  Joah,  acting  under  the  king's  commands ;  but  who 
*16 


186  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS     OF 

seem  more  probably,  from  Prov.  xxx.  1.,  to  have  been 
Ithiel  and  Ucal.  The  thirtieth  chapter  consists  of  words 
furnished  by  Agur,  the  son  of  Jakeh,  and  hence  called 
'the  words  of  Agur,'  as  the  matter  or  words  furnished  by 
Lemuel,  are  shortly  afterwards  called  '  the  words  of  Lem- 
uel,' although  we  are  at  the  same  time  told  that  they  were 
composed  by  his  mother,  and  only  committed  by  him  to 
memory.  Of  Agur,  sacred  history  makes  no  further 
mention  ;  but  he  was  probably  a  confidential  friend  of 
Solomon,  and  drew  up  what  he  has  contributed,  either 
from  recollection,  or  from  some  private  record,  at  the 
solicitation  of  Ithiel  and  Ucal,  who  seem  to  have  been 
commissioned  for  this  purpose,  and  were  probably,  as 
just  noticed,  '  the  men  of  Hezekiah,  the  king  of  Judah,' 
referred  to  in  the  opening  of  the  thirtieth  chapter.  The 
appendix  closes  with  '  the  words  of  Lemuel,'  supposed  to 
be  Solomon,  and  expressly  declared  to  have  been  taught 
him  by  his  mother,  who,  in  this  case,  must  have  been 
Bathsheba ;  and  who  seems  to  have  composed  them  for 
the  use  of  her  son  when  in  the  bloom  of  youth,  and  about 
the  time  when  he  was  formally  declared  by  his  father, 
successor  to  the  Jewish  throne.  As  the  person,  how- 
ever, who  furnished  this  parabolic  address  is  called  king 
Lemuel,  he  is  conjectured  by  some  writers  to  have  been 
a  different  individual  from  king  Solomon  :  but  as  we  have 
no  other  account  of  any  such  personage  as  king  Lemuel  ; 
as  the  title  of  the  book  assigns  the  whole  of  its  contents 
to  Solomon  alone,  as  its  writer  or  speaker ;  and  as  the 
subject  matter  expressly  applies  to  himself,  and  to  no 
other  person  we  are  acquainted  with,  there  can  be  little 
doubt  that  the  word  Lemuel  is  a  mere  familiar  substitute 
for  that  of  Solomon,  or  rather  of  Se-lem-eh,  which  is  the 
Hebrew  orthography,  varied  by  a  liberty  very  generally 
taken  on  such  occasions,  in  all  languages,  of  uniting  the 
beginning,  and  altering  the  termination  of  the  name,  so 
as  from  Se-lem-eh  to  produce  first  Se-lem-uel,  and  then 
Lemuel. 

"  Solomon,  who  seems  to  have  subjected  all  the  known 
sciences  of  the  time  to  his  use,  and  to  have  done  so  by 
a  special  endowment,  seems  also  to  have  turned  his  atten- 
tion peculiarly  to  the  popular  method  of  teaching  morality 
by  short  striking  descriptions  and  sententious  precepts. 
We  are  told  by  the  author  of  the  1st  book  of  Kings,  iv. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  187 

32.,  that  he  spake  not  less  than  three  thousand  proverbs ; 
and  he  himself  tells  us,  Eccles.  xii.  9.,  that,  in  ofSer  to 
teach  the  people  knowledge,  he  sought  out  or  selected — 
and  set  in  order  or  arranged — a  considerable  number  of 
these  with  great  attention  or  good  heed :  and  there  can 
be  little  doubt  that  the  substance  of  the  following  work 
is  the  result  of  this  elaborate  assortment ;  which  may 
hence,  in  the  judgment  of  Solomon  himself,  be  supposed 
to  contain  the  flower  and  choice  of  his  productions. 

"  It  is,  in  truth,  by  far  the  most  valuable  book  with 
which  he  has  favored  the  \vorld,  and  the  most  striking 
monument  of  the  wisdom  with  which  he  was  specially 
endowed  :  critically  and  captivatingly  curious  in  the  va- 
riety of  its  style  and  method,  and  of  universal  compre- 
hension in  the  subjects  it  embraces  ;  laying  down  rules 
of  conduct  for  all  possible  conditions  of  life,  for  kings  and 
courtiers  and  men  of  the  world  ;  for  masters  and  ser- 
vants ;  for  fathers,  mothers,  and  children  ;  for  the  favo- 
rites of  prosperity  and  the  sons  of  affliction  :  so  that  it  is 
difficult  to  say  in  what  way  the  wisdom  that  was  bestowed 
upon  him  could  have  been  applied  to  a  better  purpose. 

"  This  valuable  production  is,  in  the  original,  entitled 
MESLIM,  for  which  we  have  no  term  of  exactly  equivalent 
power  in  our  own,  nor  perhaps  in  any  other  language  : 
for  it  imports  not  merely  brief  axiomatic  sentences  of  prac- 
tical morality,  but  brief  authoritative  illustrations  of  moral 
duties,  delivered  in  strong  and  elevated  language,  under 
any  other  form,  whether  of  personification,  similitude, 
or  personal  address  and  embellished  description.  And 
hence,  MESLIM  imports  PARABLES  as  well  as  PROVERBS, 
strictly  so  called  :  the  ir*f*fc\!u,  as  well  as  the  TrapHftHu,  of 
the  Greeks :  on  which  account  the  Greek  term  rafj/^u/*/, 
and  the  Latin  PROVERBIA,  and  our  own  derivation  PRO- 
VERBS, are,  in  a  broad  sense,  employed  to  express  PARA- 
BLES, or  high  authoritative  moral  similitudes  or  allegories, 
as  well  as  sententious  maxims  ;  which  last,  however,  for 
the  most  part,  have  some  touch  of  comparison  belonging 
to  them,  as  constituting  the  hinge  on  which  they  turn. 
And  hence,  parables  and  proverbs,  ^*/>*/?OA*/,  and  v^ium, 
are  used  as  convertible  terms  in  the  Gospels;  or  rather 
what  the  three  first  evangelists  call  ir*p*&*M,  or  parables  ; 
St.  John  calls  ^a^/^/^,  or  proverbs,  as  in  chapter  xvi.  25. 


188  ACCOUNT    OP   THE   VoRKS    OF 

"  These  things  have  I  spoken  to  you  in  proverbs" — 
tv  veifUfjMi; ;  and  even  in  chapter  x.  6.  "this  parable"  as  it 
is  rendered  in  our  established  version,  is  still  "  this  pro- 
verb"  -TXVTM  T»V  TTUfKlfJitM \\i  the  GrCek. 

"  In  denominating,  therefore,  the  book  of  MF.SLIM  the 
book  of  PROVERBS,  the  latter  term  must  be  understood  in 
its  utmost  latitude,  as  importing  allegorical  or  other  figu- 
rative illustrations  of  moral  duties,  as  well  as  moral  and 
sententious  axioms,  for  the  MESLIM  OF  SOLOMON  contain 
both ;  and  this,  too,  not  loosely  and  irregularly  intermix- 
ed, but  in  a  nice  progressive -order,  admirably  adapted  to 
their  respective  purposes.  The  whole  work,  indeed,  as 
it  has  descended  to  our  own  hands,  is  evidently  comprised 
of  four  distinct  books  or  parts,  each  of  which  is  distin- 
guished both  by  an  obvious  introduction,  and  a  change 
of  style  and  manner,  though  its  real  method  and  arrange- 
ment seem,  hitherto,  to  have  escaped  the  attention  of  our 
commentators  and  interpreters. 

"  PART  I.  extends  from  the  opening  of  the  work  to 
the  close  of  the  ninth  chapter ;  arid  it  is  chiefly  confined 
to  the  conduct  of  juvenescence  or  early  life,  before  a  per- 
manent condition  is  made  choice  of.  The  exordium,  com- 
prising the  first  six  verses,  is  in  the  truest  style  of  eastern 
grandiloquence ;  and  it  is  principally  to  this  first  part  of 
the  work  that  the  royal  moralist  has  devoted  his  descrip- 
tive or  parabolical  talents  ;  in  the  course  of  which  he 
proves  them  to  be  of  the  highest  order,  and,  in  especial 
reference  to  the  period  of  age  to  which  he  limits  himself, 
he  commences  each  of  his  parables  or  addresses  with  the 
endearing  term  of  "  my  Son  !"  or,  "  O  ye  children  !"  a 
phraseology  rarely  to  be  met  with  afterwards,  and  only 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  instance,*  where  the  same 
kind  of  address  is  incidentally  renewed  to  persons  of  the 
same  age  in  the  third  part,  and  once  in  the  fourth  part, 
where  it  occurs  in  the  address  of  Lemuel's  mother  to 
himself. 

"All  the  most  formidable  dangers  to  which  this  season 
of  life  is  exposed,  and  the  sins  which  most  easily  beset 
it,  are  painted  with  the  hand  of  a  master.  And  whilst 
the  progress  and  issues  of  vice  are  exhibited  under  a  va- 

*  Chap.  xix.  27. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  189 

riety  of  the  most  striking  delineations  and  metaphors  in 
their  utmost  deformity  and  horror,  all  the  beauties  of  lan- 
guage, and  all  the  force  of  eloquence,  are  poured  forth  in 
the  diversified  form  of  earnest  expostulation,  insinuating 
tenderness,  captivating  argument,  picturesque  descrip- 
tion, daring  personification,  and  sublime  allegory,  to  win 
the  ingenuous  youth  to  virtue  and  piety,  and  to  fix  him  in 
a  steady  pursuit  of  his  duties  towards  God  and  towards 
man.  Virtue  is  pronounced  in  the  very  outset  to  be  es- 
sential wisdom,  and  vice  or  wickedness  essential  folly  : 
and  the  personifications  thus  forcibly  struck  out  at  the 
opening  of  the  work  are  continued  to  its  close.  The 
only  wise  man,  therefore,  is  declared  to  be  the  truly  good 
and  virtuous,  or  he  that  fears  God,  and  reverences  his 
law  :  while  the  man  of  vice  or  wickedness,  is  a  fool,  a 
dolt,  an  infatuated  sot,  a  stubborn,  froward,  or  perverse 
wretch,  and  an  abomination  to  Jehovah. 

"  Wisdom  is,  hence,  allegorized  as  a  tree  of  life,  yield- 
ing delicious  shade,  fruit,  and  protection  to  those  that 
approach  her  branches  :  throwing  a  garland  of  honor 
around  their  shoulders,  and  decorating  their  heads  with  a 
graceful  chaplet,  more  precious  than  rubies.  She  is  a 
sage  and  eloquent  monitor,  lifting  up  her  warning  voice 
at  the  gates  and  in  the  squares  of  the  city,  denouncing  to 
the  young  the  snares  and  dangers  to  which  they  are  ex- 
posed, and  exhorting  them  to  abandon  '  the  way  of  the 
wicked,'  which  '  is  as  darkness,'  for  the  path  of  the  just, 
which  is 


as  the  brightening  dawn, 


Advancing  and  brightening  to  perfect  day. 

"  She  is  the  characteristic  attribute,  the  darling  off- 
spring, of  the  Deity,  who  was  with  him,  as  his  chief 
object  of  delight,  when  he  planned  the  mighty  frame  of 
the  creation  : 

Jehovah  held  me  the  chief  of  his  train 
Before  his  works,  in  the  outset. 
From  everlasting  was  I  anointed  : 

From  the  beginning,  from  the  forecastings  of  the  earth. 
When  there  were  no  abysses  I  was  brought  forth ; 
\\"hen  no  sluices,  redundant  with  waters  ; 
Ere  the  mountains  were  settled, 
Before  the  hills  was  I  brought  forth  ; 


190  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

When,  as  yet,  he  had  not  prepared  the  land  or  the  lakes, 

Or  beautified  the  dust  of  the  world. — 

When  he  arranged  the  heavens — I  was  there  ; 

When  he  turned  the  globe  over  the  surface  of  the  abyss; 

When  he  established  the  atmosphere  ; 

When  he  strengthened  the  floodgates  of  the  abyss  ; 

When  he  gave  to  the  sea  his  commandment 

That  the  waters  should  not  overflow  its  boundary  ; 

When  lie  hewed  out  the  foundations  of  the  earth  ; 

Then  was  I  with  him,  a  favorite  ; 

Then  was  I  from  day  to  day  his  delight. 

"  The  first  idea  of  this  wonderfully  sublime  description 
was  probably  taken  from  the  author  of  the  book  of  Job, 
chap,  xxxviii.  4 — 18,  whose  classical  ornaments,  and, 
more  particularly,  whose  occasional  Arabisms,  Solomon 
seems  to  have  been  peculiarly  fond  of  copying ;  but  it  is 
in  many  respects  original,  and  needs  not  fear  a  compari- 
son with  the  magnificent  source  from  which  it  has  per- 
haps been  derived. 

"  Wisdom,  under  another  similitude,  is  represented  as 
a  princely  potentate,  preparing  a  rich  banquet  in  his 
splendid  palace,  sending  forth  his  invitations  freely  in 
every  quarter,  and  making  a  proclamation  himself  from 
the  heights  of  the  city,  to  all  who  stand  in  need  of  his 
counsel. 

Come,  feast  ye  on  my  feast ; 

And  drink  of  the  wine  I  have  mingled : 

Forsake  the  heedless  and  live, 

And  walk  in  the  way  of  understanding. — 

Lo !  by  me  shall  thy  days  be  multiplied, 

And  years  of  life  be  added  unto  thee. 

"  The  latter  part  of  this  allegory  has  not  hitherto  been 
seized  by  the  translators ;  but,  when  correctly  rendered, 
it  affords  a  contrast  that  adds  wonderfully  to  the  general 
effect : 

The  essence  of  Folly  is  turbulence, 

Thoughtlessness,  and  vanity. — Can  she  know  anything  ? 

She,  too,  sitteth  at  the  opening  of  her  pavilion  ; 

On  the  throne  of  the  heights  of  the  citv, 

To  call  out  to  the  travellers  on  their  way, 

Who  are  rightly  pursuing  their  courses : 

'  Whoso  is  thoughtless  ~: — let  him  turn  in  hither.' 

While  to  the  silly-hearted — thus  saith  she  to  Iiim, 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  191 

'  Sweet  are  the  waters  of  stealth, 

And  delicious  the  feast  of  the  clandestine.' 

But  he  understandelh  not  that  the  ghosts  are  there, 

That  her  guests  are  in  the  depths  of  hell. 

"  With  this  fearful  and  forcible  stroke,  the  allegory 
and  the  book  itself  concludes  :  the  general  object  of  the 
whole  being,  as  already  observed,  to  inculcate  upon  the 
young  and  the  yet  unsettled  in  life,  the  great  duties  of 
fearing  God,  and  reverencing  parents  ;  of  practising  vir- 
tue, temperance  and  modesty,  and  keeping  the  passions 
in  subjection,  and  to  warn  them  against  pride,  arrogance, 
self-conceit,  frowardness,  envy,  mischief-making,  back- 
biting, hasty  and  imprudent  friendships,  and  engage- 
ments ;  and  above  all,  profligacy,  debauchery,  and  scof- 
fing, or  making  a  mock  at  religion. 

"  PART  II.  commences  at  the  opening  of  the  tenth 
chapter,  as  is  obvious  from  the  introductory  clause  of  its 
first  verse,  '  The  Proverbs  of  Solomon,'  which,  indeed, 
may  be  regarded  as  its  title.  Its  range  extends  to  the 
sixteenth  verse  of  the  twenty-second  chapter  inclusively  ; 
the  verse  subsequent  to  this,  opening  with  another  exor- 
dium, and  consequently  with  a  third  part  or  book. 

"  The  style  and  manner  of  the  second  part  are  as  differ- 
ent as  possible  from  those  of  the  first :  and  it  is  evidently 
designed  for  the  use  of  persons  who  are  actually  settled  in 
life,  and  have  advanced  from  the  age  of  youth  to  that  of 
manhood.  And  hence,  while  the  preceding  duties  are 
occasionally  glanced  at  as  of  obligation  in  every  stage  of 
life,  the  endearing  phrases  of  '  my  son  !'  and  '  O  ye  chil- 
dren !'  are  entirely  dropped,  and  the  writer  chiefly  incul- 
cates the  virtues  of  industry,  honesty,  frugality,  fair  and 
upright  dealing,  prudence,  ingenuousness,  compassion, 
mercy  to  animals,  paucity  and  simplicity  of  words,  hu- 
mility, reverence  of  kings  and  all  in  authority,  family 
order  and  subordination,  and  the  wholesome  discipline  of 
children:  the  chief  vices  denounced  and  warned  against 
being  those  of  sluggishness,  deceit,  falsehood,  knavery, 
over-reaching,  squandering,  hasty  and  improvident  surety- 
ship, slandering,  hypocrisy,  idle  prating,  tale-bearing, 
backbiting,  gluttony  and  ebriety,  pride,  wrath  and  hatred, 
worldly-mindedness,  and  confidence  in  wealth,  glory, 
honor,  power,  or  any  other  external  possession  or  quality  ; 


192  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

the  sum  of  the  whole  being  not  RICHES  but  RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS ;  which  last  is  repeatedly  designated  as  the  chief 
source  of  public  as  well  as  of  private  well-being  ;  as  a 
state  virtue,  not  less  than  a  domestic  and  social  duty. 

"  To  the  subject  of  this  book  nothing  could  be  better 
adapted  than  the  style.  While  in  the  preceding,  which, 
as  already  observed,  is  addressed  to  the  young  and  the 
unsettled,  the  richest  ornaments  of  the  fancy  are  made 
choice  of,  to  captivate  their  attention  and  allure  them  to 
a  right  practice,  in  the  present  all  is  business  and  activi- 
ty, brevity,  concinnity,  and  terseness ;  every  thought, 
though  as  highly  polished,  is,  at  the  same  time,  as  com- 
pressed as  possible ;  and  the  writer,  thoroughly  aware  of 
the  value  of  every  moment  of  time  at  this  important  pe- 
riod, lays  down  a  complete  series  of  short  rules  of  life, 
and  concentrates  the  most  momentous  precepts  into  the 
narrowest  compass.  The  former  appeals  to  the  imagina- 
tion, the  latter  to  the  judgment :  the  one  exhibits  all  the 
genius  of  poetry,  the  other  all  the  art  of  composition  ;  and 
hence  the  general  matter  is  rendered  as  attractive  in  the 
one  instance  as  in  the  other. 

"  The  great  object  in  each  of  the  proverbs  or  axioms 
of  the  present  part,  is  to  enforce  a  moral  principle  in 
words  so  few  that  they  may  be  easily  learned,  and  so  cu- 
riously selected  and  arranged  that  they  may  strike  and 
fix  the  attention  instantaneously  :  whilst,  to  prevent  the 
mind  from  becoming  fatigued  by  a  long  series  of  detach- 
ed sentences,  they  are  perpetually  diversified  by  the  most 
playful  changes  of  style  and  figure. 

"  Of  these  changes  it  will  be  sufficient  to  point  out  the 
six  following :  the  attentive  reader  may  discover  many 
others,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  analyze  the  whole. 
Sometimes  the  style  is  rendered  striking  by  its  peculiar 
simplicity,  or  the  familiarity  of  its  illustration  :  sometimes 
by  the  grandeur  or  loftiness  of  the  metaphor  or  simile  em- 
ployed on  the  occasion :  sometimes  by  a  purposed  or 
enigmatical  obscurity,  which  rouses  the  curiosity  :  very 
frequently  by  a  strong  and  catching  antithesis  :  occasion- 
ally by  a  pointed  anaphora,  or  playful  iteration  of  the 
same  word  ;  and  in  numerous  instances  by  an  elegant 
pleonasm,  or  the  expansion  of  a  single  or  common  idea 
by  a  luxuriance  of  agreeable  words. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  193 

"  1.  Of  the  simple  and  familiar  style  we  have  exam- 
ples in  the  following. 

In  the  multitude  of  words  there  is  no  lack  of  blundering  ; 
Therefore  he  that  restraineth  his  lips  is  discreet. 

x.  19. 

Commit  thy  doings  to  Jehovah, 

And  thy  purposes  shall  be  established. 

xvi.  3. 

The  rich  and  the  poor  are  mixed  together, 
Jehovah  is  the  maker  of  them  all. 

xxii.  2. 

"2.  Of  the  grand  and  lofty  style  the  following  may 
serve  as  instances : 

In  the  path  of  righteousness  is  LIFE  : 
Yea,  the  high  way  is  IMMORTALITY. 

xii.  28. 

HELL  and  DKSTRCCTION  are  before  Jehovah : 

How  much  more  then  the  hearts  of  the  sons  of  Adam. 

xv.  11. 

The  man  that  wandereth  from  the  way  of  understanding 
Shall  make  his  bed  among  the  assembly  of  the  GHOSTS. 

xxi.  16. 

A  wise  man  scaleth  the  city  of  the  mighty, 
And  casteth  down  the  bulwark  of  its  confidence. 

xxi.  22. 

"  Which  last  may  be  regarded  as  a  parabolic  rendering 
of  the  maxim  announced  by  Lord  Bacon,  that  '  Know- 
ledge is  power.' 

"  3.  Of  the  obscure  and  enigmatical  style,  I  may  se- 
lect the  following  examples  ;  in  the  first  and  second  of 
which  it  may  be  observed,  that  the  key  or  explanation  is 
given  in  the  latter  verse  of  the  couplet. 

A  gift  is  a  precious  stone  in  the  eye  of  its  receivers : 
On  whichsoever  side  it  is  looked  at,  it  quickeneth. 

xvii.  8. 

Acceptable  words  are  a  honeycomb  ; 
Sweet  to  the  soul,  and  healing  to  the  bones. 

xvi.  24. 

With  the  fruit  of  a  man's  mouth  shall  his  belly  be  filled  : 
With  the  produce  of  his  lips  shall  he  be  filled. 

xviii.  20 
17 


194  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

"  The  meaning  is,  to  explain  it  by  another  proverb, 
'  According  as  a  man  soweth,  so  shall  he  reap.'  The  fruit 
of  the  mouth,  of  the  lips,  or  of  the  thoughts,  is  a  common 
metaphor  in  sacred  poetry,  to  express  '  words  ; '  and  oc- 
curs in  Isa.  Ivii.  19.  Jer.  vi.  19.  Heb.  xiii.  15.  But  the 
best  illustration  of  the  distich  is  to  be  found  in  the  paral- 
lel proverb  or  parable  ofjour  Saviour  upon  eating  with  un- 
washen.  hands,  which  is-  of  the  same  enigmatical  cast — 
and  his  own  explanation  of  it  to  his  disciples  who  did  not 
understand  its  drift:  Matt.  xv.  11,  15 — 20.  'Not  that 
which  goeth  into  the  mouth  defileth  a  man,  but  that 
which  cometh  out  of  the  mouth,  this  defileth  a  man.' 
Then  answered  Peter,  and  said  unto  him,  '  Declare  unto 
us  this  parable.'  And  Jesus  said,  '  Are  ye,  also,  yet 
without  understanding  ?  Do  not  ye  yet  understand,  that 
whatsoever  entereth  in  at  the  mouth  goeth  into  the  belly, 
and  is  cast  out  into  the  draught  ?  But  those  things  which 
proceed  out  of  the  mouth  come  forth  from  the  heart,  and 
they  defile  the  man.  For  out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil 
thoughts,  murders,  adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false 
witness,  blasphemies.  These  are  the  things  which  defile 
a  man  :  but  to  eat  with  unwashen  hands  defileth  not  a 
man!' 

"  4.  The  antithetic  style  is  that  which  occurs  most  fre- 
quently, and  to  which  the  royal  writer  appears  to  have 
been  most  addicted.  Instances  of  it  are  to  be  found  in 
almost  every  chapter,  and  sometimes  in  almost  every 
verse  of  a  chapter.  Let  the  following  serve  as  exam- 
ples: 

The  heart  knoweth  its  own  bitterness  : 
And  a  stranger  cannot  participate  in  its  joy. 

xiv.  10. 

Get  thou  wisdom,  O  !  goodlier  than  gold  ; 
Yea,  get  thou  understanding,  more  desirable  than  silver. 

xvi.  16. 

A  rebuke  cutteth  deeper  into  a  wise  man 
Than  a  hundred  times  flogging  into  a  fool. 

xvii.  10. 

The  mouth-wordiness  of  a  man  is  a  pool  of  water  : 
The  well-spring  of  wisdom  a  flowing  stream. 

xviii.  4. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  195 

As  a  roaring  lion  is  the  wrath  of  a  king  ; 
Bat  as  dew  upon  the  grass  his  favor. 

xix.  12. 

Stuff!  stuff!  saith  the  buyer, 

But  let  him  go  off  with  it,  then  he  boasteth. 

xx.  14. 

"5.  The  labored  style,  which  consists  in  a  playful 
iteration  of  the  same  word,  is  common  to  various  kinds  of 
poetry  in  the  West  as  well  as  in  the  East.  In  the  notes 
on  my  translation  of  Lucretius  (vol.  i.  p.  132,  ii.  p.  4,)  I 
have  given  various  examples  from  the  Greek  and  Roman 
poets,  and  in  those  on  my  translation  of  the  book  of  Job, 
I  have  given  several  others  from  the  Asiatic  poets,  and 
especially  from  those  of  Jerusalem.  In  the  work  before 
us  we  have  numerous  examples  of  the  same  kind,  though 
they  have  rarely  been  attended  to  or  preserved  by  the 
translators.  The  following  may  serve  as  specimens : 

Smartly  shall  he  smart  who  is  bail  for  a  stranger  ; 
While  he  who  hateth  suretyship  is  secure. 

xi.  15. 

He  that  walketh  with  wise  men  shall  be  wise  ; 
But  the  friend  of  fools  shall  be  friendless. 

xiii.  20. 

Whoso  returneth  evil  for  good, 
Evil  shall  not  depart  from  his  house. 

xvii.  13. 

He  who  justifieth  the  guilty,  and  he  who  findcth  guilty  the  just, 
Verily  both  of  them  are  an  abomination  to  Jehovah. 

xvii.  15. 

"  6.  Of  the  pleonastic  or  redundant  style,  we  may  se- 
lect the  following  examples**- 

To  be  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  to  be  valiant ; 
And  to  rule  one's  spirit  than  to  take  a  city. 

xvi.  32. 

The  real  friend  loveth  at  all  times, 
And  in  adversity  becometh  a  brother. 

xvii.  17. 

Multitudes  cling  to  the  countenance  of  the  munificent ; 
And  every  one  is  an  adherent  to  the  man  of  gifts. 

xix.  6. 


196  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

Whoso  restraineth  his  words  shall  learn  knowledge  ; 
Choice  of  breath  is  the  man  of  discernment. 
Even  the  dolt,  while  silent,  is  thought  wise  ; 
While  shutting  his  lips,  intelligent. 

xvii.  27,  23. 

"  In  this  tetrastich  there  is  so  striking  a  resemblance 
to  the  following  of  an  elegant  Arabic  writer,  that  they 
ought  to  be  brought  together  for  a  comparison. 

Keep  silence  then  ; — nor  speak  but  when  besought : 
Who  listens  long  grows  tired  of  what  is  told: 

With  tones  of  silver  though  thy  tongue  be  fraught, 
Know  this — that  silence,  of  itself,  is  gold. 

"  PART  III.  is  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  proverbs 
and  parables,  brief  axioms,  and  figurative  descriptions 
and  addresses.  It  is  consequently  modelled  after  both 
the  preceding  parts,  and  contains  moral  instruction  for  all 
the  different  stages  of  life.  It  commences  with  an  ob- 
vious break  and  apostrophe  at  the  seventeenth  verse  of 
the  twenty-second  chapter, — intimates,  in  the  twentieth 
verse,  when  correctly  rendered,  that  it  is  a  third  under- 
taking, division,  or  series  of  the  subject,  and  that  the  ar- 
rangement was  made  by  Solomon  himself, — and  closes 
with  the  close  of  chapter  the  twenty-fourth.  It  yields  in 
no  respect  to  either  of  the  preceding  :  the  matter  is  as 
important,  the  diction  as  spirited  and  elegant,  and  the 
personifications  as  bold  and  striking.  The  introduction 
is' peculiarly  beautiful  and  impressive  : 

Incline  thine  ear,  and  hearken  to  the  words  of  the  wise, 

And  apply  thine  heart  to  my  instruct!  jn. 

O  !  how  sweet,  if  thou  keep  them  in  thy  bosom. 

Harmoniously  shall  they  be  fitted  to  thy  lips. 

For  the  fixing  thy  trust  in  Jehovah 

To-day  am  I  making  thoe  thoroughly  know  thyself; 

Yea,  a  third  time  am  I  not  imprinting  upon  thee 

Concerning  counsels  and  knowledge  ? 

"  The  vice  of  intoxication,  and  the  train  of  evils  that 
accompany  it,  are,  in  this  book,  painted  with  a  force  and 
accuracy  of  coloring,  that  we  shall  in  vain  seek  for  any 
where  else.  It  extends  from  the  twenty-ninth  verse  of 
the  twenty-third  chapter,  to  its  close ;  and  the  following 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  197 

imagery  is  in  the  highest  style  of  Oriental  excellence,  for 
the  full  meaning  of  which  the  reader  may  turn  to  the 
notes  on  the  passage  : 

Look  not  on  wine  when  it  assumeth  the  ruby  ; 

When  it  throweth  its  eye  from  the  cup. 

Though  it  move  round  with  blandishments, 

In  its  end  it  will  bite  as  a  serpent, 

Yea,  sting  as  a  cockatrice : 

Thine  eyes  shall  image  profligate  women, 

And  thine  heart  utter  incoherencies. 

"  PART  IV.  is  avowedly,  as  already  observed,  a  post- 
humous appendix  ;  consisting  of  various  parabolic  com- 
positions, written  and  communicated  by  Solomon  on  dif- 
ferent occasions,  but  never  published  by  himself  in  an 
arranged  form  ;  yet  altogether  worthy  of  the  place  they 
hold  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  It  comprises  the  last 
seven  chapters,  and  consequently  commences  with  the 
twenty-fifth  chapter.  The  editors  of  this  part  of  the 
work  are  expressly  declared  to  be  the  royal  scribes  or 
librarians  in  the  reign  of  Hezekiah,  who  seem  to  have 
acted  under  the  royal  command,  and  were  probably 
Ithiel  and  Ucal,  mentioned  in  the  first  verse  of  chapter 
the  thirtieth,  as  applying  to  Agur  for  documents  in  his 
possession,  or  recollections  in  his  memory.  The  admon- 
itory verses  composed  for  king  Lemuel  by  his  mother, 
when  he  was  in  the  flower  of  youth  and  high  expecta- 
tion, and  with  which  the  work  concludes,  are  an  inimi- 
table production,  as  well  in  respect  to  their  actual  mate- 
rials, as  the  delicacy  with  which  they  are  selected.  In- 
stead of  attempting  to  lay  down  rules  concerning  matters 
of  state  and  political  government,  the  illustrious  writer 
confines  herself,  with  the  nicest  and  most  becoming  art, 
to  a  recommendation  of  the  gentler  virtues  of  temper- 
ance, benevolence,  and  mercy ;  and  a  minute  and  un- 
paralleled delineation  of  the  female  character,  which 
might  bid  fairest  to  promote  the  happiness  of  her  son  in 
connubial  life.  The  description,  though  strictly  in  con- 
sonance with  the  domestic  economy  of  the  highest 
sphere  of  life,  in  the  early  period  referred  to,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  East,  is  of  universal  application,  and  cannot 
be  studied  too  closely ;  and  the  value  which  Solomon  ap- 

17* 


198  ACCOUNT    OP    THE    WORKS    OP 

pears  to  have  set  upon  this  beautiful  address  is  the  most 
striking  practical  illustration  he  could  give  of  the  impor- 
tant lesson  he  so  frequently  inculcates, 

Forsake  not  the  precept  of  thy  mother. 

"  From  these  remarks  it  must  be  evident,  that  a  good 
translation  of  the  book  of  Proverbs  cannot  be  accom- 
plished without  great  difficulties,  though  difficulties  of  a 
peculiar  kind.  In  the  book  of  Job,  and  in  the  prophe- 
cies of  Isaiah  and  Hosea,  the  text  is  often  in  the  greatest 
degree  obscure,  in  consequence  of  the  rapid  transition 
of  the  writer  from  one  subject  or  metaphor  to  another, 
and  the  frequent  abruptness  of  his  style.  In  the  book 
before  us,  the  prevailing  difficulties  are  those  of  following 
up  the  particular  construction  of  a  verse,  seizing  the 
proper  sense  of  what  may  be  regarded  as  its  governing 
term,  and  which  constitutes  the  pivot  on  which  the  whole 
turns ;  and  in  finding  an  equivalent  term  in  the  vernacu- 
lar tongue,  capable  of  expressing  a  double  sense,  and  of 
being  equally  iterated,  in  all  cases  in  which  such  itera- 
tion is  playfully  introduced,  and  a  double  sense  is  made 
to  appear  in  the  original.  Without  this,  the  general 
moral  may,  indeed,  be  caught  and  communicated,  but 
the  fine  aroma,  the  essential  and  operative  spirit,  will 
completely  fly  off  in  the  distillation  ;  and  what  remains 
will  be  nothing  more  than  a  caput  mortuum,  or  dead 
letter." 

TRANSLATION    OP    THE    PSALMS. 

For  the  last  four  or  five  years  of  Dr.  Good's  life,  much 
of  his  time  was  devoted  to  a  new  translation  of  "  The 
Book  of  Psalms,  from  the  Original  Hebrew,  with  an 
Outline  of  their  History,  and  explanatory  Notes."  Dur- 
ing this  period,  the  Psalter  was  evidently  his  chief  de- 
light. To  some  of  his  friends  he  wrote  about  it ;  to 
others  he  expatiated  upon  it  orally,  read  his  translations 
of  particular  psalms,  and  developed  their  peculiarities ; 
to  his  family  he  expounded  it,  usually  with  great  fervor 
and  pathos.  If,  when  speaking  of  this  comprehensive 
summary,  Luther's  "  Parva  Biblia,"  he  did  not  charac- 
terize it  in  the  precise  language  of  Augustine,*  and  Am- 

*  Tutela  pueris,  Juvenibus  ornamentum,  solatium  senibus,  mulieribus 
aptissimus  decor.  August.  Prolog,  in  lib.  Psal. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD,  109 

brose,*  or  in  the  quaint  expressiveness  of  old  Gerhard,! 
he  evidently  blended,  in  his  estimate  of  its  value,  all  that 
they  have  said,  if  not  all  that  they  could  think.  In  one 
of  his  latest  letters  to  his  constant  and  valued  friend,  Dr. 
Drake,  bearing  date  May  20,  1826  ;  after  speaking  of 
his  "  Book  of  Nature,"  which  he  then  presented  to  the 
Doctor,  he  proceeds,  as  with  a  decided  persuasion  that 
he  was  about  to  mention  his  last  work  : 

"  I  have  thus  been  enabled  to  finish  one  of  the  designs 
on  which  I  have  long  set  my  affections  ;  and  it  will  afford 
me  pleasure  to  learn  that  I  have  hereby  given  a  little 
mental  recreation  to  a  friend,  in  whose  fortunes  of  joy 
or  sorrow  I  shall  ever  take  a  deep  and  almost  personal 
interest. 

"  But  the  time  is  short ! — and  a  less  firm  possession  of 
health  than  formerly  is  mercifully  designed  to  imprint 
this  most  important  lesson  on  my  heart.  May  the  gracious 
Power  that  is  reading  it  to  me,  enable  me  to  improve  it ! 
I  must,  therefore,  '  work  while  it  is  called  to-day.' 

"  I  have  just  completed  an  entire  new  version  of  the 
Psalter,  after  the  manner  of  the  book  of  Job :  and  I 
have  had  very  great  pleasure  in  going  through  so  rich  a 
treasure  of  spiritual  worth  and  unrivalled  poetry.  It  has 
been  a  great  and  prime  object  with  me  to  ascertain  the 
time,  place,  and  circumstances  which  appertain  to  each 
psalm,  so  as  to  assign  to  every  one  its  exact  historical 
position  :  and  a  very  attentive  and  critical  examination 
into  the  subject-matter  of  the  whole,  or  the  bearing  of 
particular  words  or  phrases — the  drift  of  scenery,  or  his- 
toric facts  alluded  to,  has  enabled  me,  as  I  trust,  satis- 

*  Licet  omnis  Scriptura  Divina  Dei  gratiam  spiret;  prsecipue  tanicn 
dulcis  Psalmorum  liber  ....  Hisloria  instruit ;  Lex  clocet ;  Prophetia  an- 
nunciat ;  Correptio  castigat ;  Moralitas  suadet :  In  Libro  Psalmorum  pro- 
fectus  est  omnium.  Amo.  in  Psal.  Dav.  prop/at. 

t  The  Psalms  are  a  jewel-cluster  made  up  of  the  gold  of  doctrine,  the 
pearls  of  comfort,  the  gems  of  prayer.  This  book  is  a  theatre  of  God's 
works,  a  sweet  field  and  rosary  of  promises,  a  paradise  of  delicious  fruits 
and  heavenly  delights  :  an  ample  sea,  wherein  tempest-tossed  souls  find 
pearls  of  consolation :  an  heavenly  school,  wherein  God  himself  is  chief 
instructer  :  the  flower  and  quintessence  of  Scriptures  :  a  glass  of  divine 
grace,  representing  the  fatherly  countenance  of  God  in  Christ :  and  a  most 
accurate  anatomy  of  the  Christian  soul,  delineating  all  its  affections,  mo- 
tions, temptations,  and  depths  of  perplexity]  with  their  proper  remedy. — 
Gerhard.  Com.  Pla.  $  144. 


200  ACCOUNT   OF   THE    WORKS    OF 

factorily  to  accomplish  this  yet  novel  undertaking  ;  and 
thus  to  furnish  to  every  separate  psalm,  if  I  mistake  not, 
a  vastly  greater  interest  than  it  can  otherwise  possess. 
Not  that  I  mean  thereby  to  disturb  the  esoteric  or  mysti- 
cal reference  which  they  so  frequently  and  unquestiona- 
bly have  to  the  Messiah,  or  to  undervalue  the  inapprecia- 
ble labors  of  the  excellent  Bishop  Home  ;  but  rather  to 
give  them  more  force  by  a  fuller  display  of  their  primary 
and  historic  sources. 

"  I,  therefore,  in  a  preliminary  dissertation,  give  a 
chronological  and  general  history  of  the  Psalms,  in  their 
respective  order  of  time;  illustrating  each  from  its  own 
internal  and  most  beautiful  evidence,  and  assigning  to 
each  its  specific  impression,  as  derived  from  the  deeply 
interesting  historic  facts  with  which  it  is  connected." 

After  Dr.  Good's  death,  the  manuscript  copy  of  this 
work,  over  which  he  spent  so  many  portions  of  his  latest 
and  his  best  days,  wTas  found  completely  ready  for  the 
press,  even  to  the  minutiae  of  the  directions  to  the  printer. 
According  to  the  arrangement  proposed  by  himself,  the 
work  would  constitute  two  volumes  octavo,  each  about 
400  pages :  the  first  comprehending  the  historical  out- 
line, and  the  translation  of  the  Psalms  to  the  end  of  Psalm 
XC  ;  the  second  volume  to  comprehend  the  remaining 
psalms,  and  the  notes,  critical,  philological,  and  explana- 
tory. But  he  adds,  in  a  not  a  bcne,  "  If  the  whole  can 
be  printed  in  one  handsome  volume,  1  object  not." 

In  the  historical  outline,  the  author  regards  it  as  toler- 
ably decisive,  that  we  assign  not  any  of  the  psalms  to  an 
earlier  epoch  than  that  of  Moses,  nor  to  a  later  than  that 
of  Ezra,  including  the  composition  of  the  whole  between 
about  1452  and  415  years  before  the  Christian  sera.  He 
marks,  as  other  critics  have  done,  the  division  of  the 
book  into  five  distinct  sections,  agreeing  with  the  Ma- 
sora ;  in  which  the  first  extends  to  Psalm  xli.  inclusively, 
the  second  to  the  close  of  Psalm  Ixxii  ;  the  third  to  the 
end  of  Psalm  Ixxxix ;  the  fourth  includes  Psalm  cvi ; 
and  the  fifth  comprehends  the  remaining  Psalms.  Each 
of  these  sections,  as  the  attentive  reader  will  have  per- 
ceived, terminates  with  a  doxology  ;  such  as, 

'  Blessed  be  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel ! 

From  everlasting  even  to  everlasting.    Amen,  and  Amen.' 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  201 

Or,  as  this, 

'Blessed  be  Jehovah-God,  the  God  of  Israel, 
Who  alone  worketh  marvels. 

Yea,  blessed  be  his  glorious  Name  for  ever  and  ever ; 
And  let  his  glory  fill  the  whole  earth  !     Amen,  and  Amen.' 

He  then  takes  a  cursory  glance  at  the  chief  probable 
authors,  Moses,  David,  Heman,  Ethan,  and  Asaph  ;  and 
so  speaks  of  the  characters  of  those  eminent  individuals, 
as  to  lead  to  the  inference  that  "  all-  the  psalms  possess 
the  highest  authority  that  human  dignity  can  give  them, 
independently  of  their  being  inspired  writings,  and  of 
their  poetic  beauty."  He  next  presents  a  most  enter- 
taining and  curious  account  (perhaps  in  one  or  two  in- 
stances a  little  fanciful,)  of  the  music  of  the  temple,  the 
distinctive  characters  of  the  instruments,  the  probable 
number  of  male  and  female  choristers,  the  number  and 
character  of  the  chiefs  of  the  temple  harmony,  the  ar- 
rangement for  the  responses  and  choruses  of  the  Levites 
with  their  brethren  opposite  to  them,  "  ward  over  agaimt 
ward,"  the  office  of  the  Azrahites  or  Laureates,  &c. 

Dr.  Good  is  disposed  to  attach  a  higher  value  to  the 
authority  of  the  titles  to  many  of  the  psalms,  than  has 
been  customary  among  those  who  have  attempted  to  in- 
vestigate this  important  portion  of  critical  research.  In 
the  same  department  of  inquiry,  also,  he  adverts  to  what 
he  regards  as  a  palpable  mistake  in  rendering  a  Hebrew 
term  by  the  words  "  to  the  chief  musician,"  where  the 
word  musician  is  entirely  interpolated.  Dr.  Good  assigns, 
in  these  cases,  as  the  proper  rendering,  "  To  the  SU- 
PREME," or,  "  Upon  the  SUPREME,"  according  as  the 
text  is  distinguished  by  the  second  or  third  person.  The 
propriety  of  this  rendering  may  easily  be  ascertained,  by 
turning  to  psalms  iv,  v,  vi,  viii,  ix,  xi,  xii,  xiii,  &x. 

An  equal  degree  of  difficulty  has  been  felt  with  regard 
to  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  prefixed  to  fifteen  of  the 
psalms,  and  usually  rendered,  "  a  song  of  degrees."  Dr. 
Good  remarks,  that  St.  Jerom  has  correctly  rendered  it, 
"  Canticum  Graduum,"  a  song  of  steps  or  progress;  that 
the  psalms  to  which  the  title  is  prefixed,  were,  in  every 
instance,  sung  during  a  march,  or  when  the  people  were 
advancing  or  stepping  forward,  as  in  their  triumphant 
return  to  Jerusalem  after  the  Babylonish  captivity,  or  ad- 


202  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

vancing  towards  it  on  one  of  the  annual  festivals  ;  and 
that  the  literal  rendering  in  our  own  tongue,  is,  "  a 
progressionary  or  march-song ,"  colloquially,  "  a  sacred 
march."  This  interpretation  of  the  titles,  gives  to  most 
of  these  fifteen  psalms  a  peculiar  beauty  and  energy. 

After  some  appropriate  observations  on  the  acrostic  or 
alphabetic  psalms,  Dr.  Good  takes  a  general  view  of  the 
subjects  which  the  entire  book  embraces  ;  from  this  I 
quote  the  following  graphic  passage  : — 

"We  have  already  observed,  that  the  subjects  treated 
of  in  the  entire  collection  of  the  Psalter,  embrace  every 
diversity  of  condition  that  can  characterize  either  do- 
mestic or  public  life.  We  have  hence  numerous  exam- 
ples of  the  sigh  of  penitence  and  contrition,  the  chas- 
tened meekness  of  resignation,  the  holy  importunity  of 
prayer,  the  sustaining  confidence  of  faith,  the  energetic 
shout  of  thanksgiving  :  descants  on  the  attributes  of  God, 
and  the  general  course  of  his  providence  arid  his  grace  ; 
on  the  regularity  and  picturesque  beauty  of  the  seasons ; 
on  the  wonderful  structure  and  phenomena  of  the  heavens, 
the  earth,  and  the  ocean  ;  the  peaceful  quiet  of  rural 
and  pastoral  life  ;  the  roar  and  violence  of  the  tempest, 
and  the  terrors  of  the  mariner  when  in  danger  of  ship- 
wreck. And,  as  the  national  events  that  are  occasionally 
brought  forward,  extend  from  the  time  of  Moses  to  that 
of  Ezra,  the  Psalms  may  be  contemplated  as  an  abstract 
of  Jewish  history,  through  the  whole  of  this  period  ;  the 
incidents  chiefly  adverted  to,  many  of  which  are  dwelt 
upon  at  great  length,  and  described  in  the  most  glowing 
and  impressive  colors,  being  the  Egyptian  bondage,  and 
the  miraculous  deliverance  from  it :  the  signs  and  mar- 
vels performed  while  journeying  to  the  land  of  Canaan, 
from  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  to  the  overthrow  of  the 
devoted  nations  on  either  side  of  the  Jordan  :  the  calam- 
ities that  pressed  upon  David  on  his  entering  into  public 
life,  and  during  his  proscription  by  Saul:  the  wonderful 
series  of  his  triumphs  :  his  consecration  of  mount  Zion, 
and  removal  of  the  ark  to  the  tabernacle  then  erected  for 
its  reception  ;  his  reverses  under  the  overwhelming  in- 
fluence of  an  infidel  and  traitorous  faction,  in  league 
with  a  part  of  his  own  family  :  his  inauguration  of  Solo- 
mon into  the  regal  dignity  as  his  successor ;  the  celebra- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  203 

tion  of  the  marriage  of  the  latter,  apparently  with  the 
princess  of  Egypt :  occasional  interpositions  of  miracu- 
lous power  in  several  subsequent  periods  of  emergency  ; 
especially  during  the  reigns  of  Jehoshaphat  and  Heze- 
kiah  :  penitential  cries  for  relief  during  the  Babylonian 
captivity  :  festals  and  triumphant  eulogies  on  the  marvel- 
lous deliverance  from  that  humiliated  state  ;  and  the  an- 
thems of  exulting  praise  on  the  rebuilding  and  opening 
the  temple,  and  re-establishment  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

"  But  by  far  the  most  important  feature  of  the  Psalms 
to  the  present  and  all  future  times,  is  their  figurative  or 
parabolical  character ;  the  secondary  sense,  in  which 
they  prophetically  describe,  in  lineaments  that  can  sel- 
dom be  mistaken,  the  life  and  offices  of  the  Redeemer, 
the  whole  mystery  of  salvation  by  Christ  Jesus. 

"  I  dare  not  say  that  this  esoteric  but  most  important 
sense  is  adumbrated  in  every  individual  psalm  ;  because 
I  well  know  that  there  are  many  in  which  it  is  not  to  be 
found  without  a  very  licentious  exercise  of  the  fancy, 
and  even  then  without  any  advantage  from  the  supposed 
discovery.  But  the  numerous  references  to  this  spiritual 
signification,  which  occur  in  the  New  Testament,  and 
the  striking  parallelism  of  these  as  well  as  other  passages, 
in  the  eye  of  every  one,  to  particular  parts  of  the  great 
drama  that  is  unfolded  in  the  Gospel  dispensation,  form 
an  incontrovertible  proof,  that,  in  the  pre-ordinance  of 
infinite  wisdom,  the  first  was  from  the  beginning  designed 
to  be  a  general  type  of  the  second." 

Unquestionably,  however,  an  extraordinary  circumspec- 
tion is  required  in  applying  the  Psalms,  as  well  as  some 
of  the  other  Old  Testament  prophecies,  to  the  Messiah, 
and  the  events  which  took  place  when  he  appeared  on 
earth.  Bishop  Home  has  often  failed  greatly  in  this  cir- 
cumspection ;  and  Bishop  Horsley,  with  his  own  peculiar 
boldness,  indulged  in  a  license  which  is  utterly  repugnant 
to  the  principles  of  sober  Biblical  interpretation.  Dr. 
Good  has,  now  and  then,  found  difficulty  in  escaping  the 
seductions  of  these  great  names,  and  especially  that  of 
Home,  the  charm  of  whose  devotional  sweetness  had, 
long  ago,  won  his  esteem,  and,  of  late  years,  his  warmest 
affection.  If,  on  this  point,  I  have  formed  a  correct 
opinion,  there  are  but  two  rules  for  the  safe  and  satisfac- 


204  ACCOUNT   OF   THE    WORKS    OF 

tory  application  of  passages  in  the  Old  Testament  to  the 
Messiah ;  namely,  the  undisputed  authority  of  the  New 
Testament,  in  the  way  of  reference  or  of  quotation  ;  and 
the  fact  that  the  specific  terms  of  a  passage,  in  their 
plain,  manifest,  unforced  acceptation,  and  in  the  fair 
scope  of  the  context,  so  apply  to  the  Saviour,  as  not  to 
admit  of  other  application  but  by  a  violation  of  ordinary 
rules  of  judgment  or  of  grammatical  construction.  A 
neglect  of  these  principles  has  led  many  excellent  men 
to  apply  various  passages  of  the  Old  Testament  to  the 
primitive  "Gospel  times"  generally  and  exclusively,  (such 
as  Amos  ix.  11 — 14  ;  Isaiah  xxviii.  20.  xlix.  14 — 26.  \\\. 
4 — 6.  Ixvi.  5 — 24.)  which  evidently,  however  they  may 
be  partially  verified  in  that  early  season,  can  only  receive 
their  entire  accomplishment  in  the  ulterior  recovery  of 
the  Jews  on  their  final  and  universal  conversion  to  Christ. 

In  selecting  a  few  specimens  of  Dr.  Good's  translations 
and  introductory  or  connected  remarks,  I  shall  commence 
with  that  which,  in  a  chronological  arrangement,  would 
be  placed  first  in  the  series.  After  adverting  to  various 
portions  of  Scripture,  which  are  evidently  rhythmical, 
and  as  evidently  composed  by  Moses,  he  proceeds  thus  : — 

"  There  is  no  great  difficulty  in  assigning  the  precise 
occasion  on  which  the  present  psalm  was  composed.  It 
is  called  "  The  Prayer  of  Moses,"  and  was  manifestly 
written  during  the  visitation  of  some  judicial  pestilence 
or  other  calamity,  that  produced  a  tremendous  destruction 
among  the  people,  in  which,  according  to  the  words  of 
the  psalm, 

Thou  ovenvhelmedst  them  with  a  look.* 
So  are  we  consumed  by  thine  ire, 
And  hurried  away  by  thy  wrath. 

And  if  we  turn  to  the  book  of  Numbers,  we  shall  find  the 
PRAYER  here  adverted  to,  and  the  calamity  so  feelingly 
described,  related  in  an  historical  detail  of  the  plague  of 
fiery  serpents  inflicted  upon  the  Israelites  on  account  of 
their  murmuring  and  refractory  spirit  at  Zalmonah,  or 
Pum,  where  the  people  died  in  great  multitudes.  The 

*  For  an  explanation  of  this  or  any  other  deviation  from  the  common 
ivndering.  the  reader  must  consult  the  explanatory  notes  upon  the  several 
passages. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  205 

words  of  the  historian  are,  '  Therefore  the  people  came  to 
Moses,  and  said,  We  have  sinned  against  the  Lord  and 
against  thee ;  PUAY  THOU  unto  the  Lord  that  he  take 
away  the  serpents  from  us  :'  AND  MOSES  PRAYED  FOR  THE 
PEOPLE.* 

"  The  subject  of  the  prayer  is  in  perfect  unison  with 
the  occasion.  The  holy  supplicant  begins  with  adoring 
the  almighty  power  of  God,  and  pleads  with  him  as  the 
dwelling-place  or  home  of  his  people  in  all  generations : 
he  draws  a  forcible  picture  of  the  vanity  and  feebleness 
of  man,  and  the  inequality  of  the  contest  between  the 
creature  and  the  Creator.  He  urges  the  penitence  and 
abasement  of  the  assembled  congregation  ;  and  implores 
for  grace  to  make  a  due  improvement  of  the  awful  ca- 
lamity : 

So  teach  MA-  to  number  our  days 

That  we  may  apply  our  hearts  to  wisdom  :t 

and  closes  with  a  humble  trust  in  God's  mercy  for  a  re- 
moval of  the  scourge,  and  a  restoration  of  the  divine 
favor.  | 

"  Dr.  Kennicott,  however,  and  various  other  critics, 
disbelieved  this  psalm  to  have  been  the  production  of 
Moses,  and  refer  it  to  a  much  later  age,  though  they  can- 
not agree  as  to  what  other  age  it  is  expressly  adapted : 
some  of  them  even  going  so  late  as  to  the  return  from  the 
Babylonian  captivity.  The  chief  ground  for  this  dissent 
from  the  date  assigned  in  the  Bible,  is  an  idea  that  the 
term  of  man's  life  was,  at  the  Mosaic  era,  much  longer 
than  that  of  seventy  or  eighty  years,  as  intimated  in  the 
present  psalm.  But  such  an  opinion  seems  founded  on 
the  exceptions  from  the  general  rule,  rather  than  the  rule 
itself.  The  life  of  Aaron,  Moses,  Joshua,  and  Caleb,  un- 
questionably exceeded  the  age  of  fourscore  considerably, 
and  ran  on  from  a  hundred  and  ten,  to  a  hundred  and 
twenty ;  but  all  these  were  probably  instances  of  special 
favor.  The  decree  which  abbreviated  the  life  of  man,  as 
a  general  rule,  to  seventy  or  eighty  years,  was  given  as  a 
chastisement  upon  the  whole  race  of  Israelites  in  the  wil- 
derness ;  and  with  these  few  exceptions,  none  of  them, 

*  Num.  xxi.  7.  t  Psalm  xc.  12.  |  Psalm  xc.  13—17. 

18 


206  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

at  the  date  of  this  psalm,  as  here  conjectured,  could  have 
reached  more  than  seventy,  and  few  of  them  so  high  a 
number.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  the  term  of  life  was 
lengthened  afterwards.  Samuel  died  about  seventy  years 
old,  David  under  seventy-one,  and  Solomon  under  sixty  : 
and  the  history  of  the  world  shews  us  that  the  abbrevia- 
tion of  life  in  other  countries  was  nearly  in  the  same  pro- 
portion. 

"  In  few  words,  the  very  fact  of  this  curtailment  of 
man's  duration,  as  occurring  at  the  period  before  us,  to- 
gether with  the  nature  of  the  crime  for  which  the  refrac- 
tory Israelites  were  punished,  their  lusting  after  other 
food  than  that  they  were  miraculously  supplied  with,  is 
clearly  hinted  at  in  the  eighth  and  ninth  verses  of  the 
psalm,  and  seems  very  sufficiently  to  support  the  present 
appropriation : 

Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities  before  thee, 

Our  SECRET  LUSTING  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance. 

HOW    UTTERLY    ARE    OUR    DAYS    CHANGED    BV    THINE    IRE! 
WE    RUN    THROUGH    OUR    YEARS    AS    A    TALE  : 

whilst  the  rapidity  of  the  change,  the  suddenness  as  well 
as  the  extent  of  the  mortality  that  passed  upon  them,  is 
forcibly  as  well  as  fearfully  expressed  in  the  third  verse  as 
well  as  the  fifth  : 

Thou  turnest  man  to  dust  as  thou  sayest. 

Return  ye  sons  of  the*  ground  ! 

Thou  overwhelmest  them  with  a  look." 

PSALM  XC. 
The  prayer  of  Moses,  the  Man  of  God. 

1.  O  Lord,  thou  art  our  dwelling-place 
From  generation  to  generation. 

2.  Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth, 
Or  thou  hadst  formed  the  earth  or  the  world. 
From  everlasting  to  everlasting  thou  art  God. 

3.  Thou  turnest  man  to  dust,  as  thou  sayest 
'  Return,  ye  sons  of  the  ground  !' 

4.  While  in  thy  view  a  thousand  years  are  as  a  day, 
A  yesterday,  when  it  is  by-gone, 

Or  a  watch  in  the  night : — 

*  Consult  the  explanatory  note  for  this  rendering. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD. 

5.  Thou  overwhelmest  them  with  a  look. 

In  the  morning  they  were  like  grass,  they  were  fresh  : 

6.  In  the  morning  it  was  flourishing  and  fresh  ; 
By  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and  withered. 

7.  So  are  we  consumed  by  thine  anger  ! 
And  hurried  away  by  thy  wrath  ! 

8.  Thou  hast  set  our  iniquities  before  thee  ; 

Our  secret  lusting  in  the  light  of  thy  countenance. 

9.  How  utterly  are  our  days  changed  by  thine  ire  ! 
We  run  through  our  years  as  a  tale. 

10.  The  days  of  our  years  are  seventy  years  at  their  utmost ; 
And  if  by  dint  of  strength  they  be  eighty  years, 

Yet  is  their  recruiting  weariness  and  vanity  ; 
So  soon  is  it  cut  down,  and  we  are  gone. 

11.  But  who  regardeth  the  power  of  thine  anger  ? 
With  a  reverence  of  thee,  thine  indignation  ? 

12.  So  teach  us  to  number  our  days 

That  we  may  apply  our  hearts  to  wisdom. 

13.  Return,  O  Jehovah  ! — how  long  first  ? 
And  relent  thou  concerning  thy  people. 

14.  O  soon  let  thy  loving-kindness  replenish  us, 
That  we  may  exult  and  rejoice  all  our  days. 

15.  Let  us  rejoice  according  to  the  days  thou  hast  afflicted  us, 
The  years  we  have  seen  of  adversity. 

16.  Let  thy  dealing  be  displayed  to  thy  servants ; 
And  thy  glory  to  their  children. 

17.  And  let  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us  ; 
And  establish  thou  the  work  we  take  in  hand, 

Yea,  the  work  we  take  in  hand,  do  thou  establish. 

Some  portions  of  the  49th  psalm  have,  I  believe,  pre- 
sented greater  difficulties  to  translators  than  almost  any 
part  of  the  Hebrew  scriptures.  This  psalm,  in  Dr.  Good's 
opinion,  was  consecrated  to  the  service  of  the  passover, 
and  refers  to  a  divine  ransom,  and  the  utter  impossibility 
of  man's  finding  or  making  an  atonement  for  himself,  or 
for  any  one  else.  The  psalmist  invites  universal  atten- 
tion to  this  important  truth — 

"  And  hence  proceeds  to  show  the  folly  and  brutish- 
ness  of  toiling  for  the  body  and  accumulating  wealth  and 
estates,  while  the  care  of  the  soul,  '  the  one  thing  need- 
ful,' is  neglected  and  forgotten.  And  it  concludes  with 
the  striking  observation,  that  the  worldling  himself,  how 
much  soever  he  may  labor  to  inculcate  his  maxims  and 
practice  upon  all  around  him  in  a  time  of  health  and  pros- 
perity, will  yet  do  justice,  when  leaving  the  world,  to  the 
higher  and  more  dignified  pursuits  of  the  good  man,  in 


208  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

the  midst  of  that  besottedness  of  his  rational  powers 
which  has  sunk  him  to  a  level  with  the  beasts  that 
perish." 

The  propriety  of  this  view  will  depend  principally  upon 
the  correctness  with  which  Dr.  Good  assumes  sons  of  the 
ground,  or  groundlings,  for  the  due  rendering  of  the  ori- 
ginal. His  reasons  are  given  in  the  notes,  and  the  He- 
brew critic  will  decide  as  to  their  force  and  validity. 

PSALM  XLIX. 

ON    THE    SUPREME. 

A  Psalm  by  the  Sons  of  Korah. 

1.  Hear  this,  all  ye  peoples, 

Give  ear,  all  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world  ; 

2.  Both  sons  of  the  ground,  and  sons  of  substance  ; 
Ye  rich  and  ye  poor  together. 

3.  My  mouth  shall  discourse  of  wisdom, 

Yea,  the  theme  of  my  heart  shall  be  understanding. 

4.  I  will  bend  mine  ear  to  a  parable  ; 

I  will  utter  my  burden  upon  the  harp. 

5.  Why  should  I  fear  in  these  days  of  evil 

That  the  iniquity  of  my  supplanters  should  circumvent  me  ? 

6.  They  that  trust  in  their  riches, 

That  boast  of  the  greatness  of  their  wealth, 

7.  No  man  can  pay  the  ransom  of  his  brother, 
Or  offer  to  God  his  own  atonement ; 

8.  (So  costly  is  the  redemption  of  their  souls  ! 
So  faileth  it  continually  !) 

9.  That  he  should  still  live  on, 

That  he  should  never  see  corruption. 

10.  For  one  beholdcth  the  wise  die 
As  well  as  the  fool  and  the  brutish. 

They  perish,  and  leave  to  others  their  riches. 

11.  Their  houses  arc  their  subject  for  ever, 
Their  mansions  from  generation  to  generation. 
They  call  their  grounds  after  their  names  : 

12.  But  the  GROUNDLING  in  the  midst  of  splendor  endureth  not ; 
He  is  like  the  beasts — they  are  on  a  level. 

13.  Such  is  their  conduct — their  folly, 

Yet  will  their  posterity  incline  to  their  course.     (Selah.) 

14.  They  are  stowed  like  sheep  in  the  grave  ; 
Death  shall  feed  upon  them  ; 

And  the  just  shall  triumph  over  them  in  the  morning: 
For  their  STRENGTH  is  utter  DISSOLUTION  ; 
The  grave  is  their  home. 

15.  But  God  shall  redeem  my  soul : 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  209 

From  the  grasp  of  the  grave 

Assuredly  shall  he  take  me  away.     (Selah.) 

16.  Fear  not  thou  when  one  is  made  rich  ; 
When  the  glory  of  his  house  is  increased. 

17.  For  in  his  death  he  shall  carry  off  nothing  whatever ; 
His  glory  shall  not  descend  after  him. 

18.  Though  while  he  lived  he  gratified  his  own  soul, 
Then  shall  he  laud  thee  for  acting  well  for  thyself. 

19.  He  shall  go  to  the  generation  of  his  fathers ; 
Never  more  shall  they  see  the  light. 

20.  The  GROUNDLING  in  the  midst  of  splendor,  but  without 

understanding, 
Is  like  the  beasts — they  are  on  a  level. 

Of  psalm  ii.  Dr.  Good  thus  speaks — 

"  This  psalm  has  descended  to  us  without  a  title  ;  but 
its  exact  place  in  the  Jewish  chronology  is  obvious,  and 
we  have  the  authority  of  the  New  Testament  that  it  was 
composed  by  David  himself,  and  with  a  more  emphatic 
reference  to  the  great  Son  of  David  than  to  his  own  per- 
sonal history.  It  is  impossible,  indeed,  to  read  it  in  the 
present  day,  without  tracing  out  much  of  that  secondary 
or  esoteric  meaning  which  is  so  common  to  the  language 
of  the  book  of  Psalms  ;  or  without  perceiving  that  by  the 
'  multitudes  that  murmur  in  vain'  is  strikingly  typified 
the  fickle  and  ungrateful  people  of  Israel ;  by  '  the  rulers 
that  took  counsel  together,'  the  Jewish  Sanhedrim ;  and 
by  '  the  heathen'  that  joined  in  the  '  rage,'  Herod  and  his 
followers,  who  sought  to  destroy  our  Saviour  when  an  in- 
fant, and  Pilate  who  condemned  him,  and  the  Roman 
soldiers  who  crucified  him.  While  in  the  general  triumph 
which  pervades  the  poem,  and  especially  in  the  para- 
mount decree  of  universal  empire  which  it  announces, 
we  have  a  clear  anticipation  of  the  glorious  events  of  our 
own  times,  and  the  still  more  glorious  successes  of  which 
they  are  but  the  harbingers." 

Dr.  Good's  translation  is  as  follows. 

PSALM  II. 

1.  Why  do  the  heathen  rage  ; 
And  the  people  murmur  in  vain ; 

2.  The  kings  of  the  earth  array  themselves  ; 
And  the  rulers  take  counsel  together 
Against  Jehovah,  and  against  his  Anointed? 

3.  '  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder, 

*18 


210  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

And  cast  their  cords  away  from  us.' 

4.  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh : 
The  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision. 

5.  Thus  shall  he  accost  them  in  his  wrath, 
And  confound  them  in  his  indignation  : 

6.  '  Verily  have  I  invested  my  king 
Upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.' 

7.  I  will  proclaim  the  decree 

Jehovah  hath  announced  concerning  me  ; 
'  Thou  art  my  Son  ! 
This  day  have  1  begotten  thee. 
i     8.     Ask  of  me — and  I  will  give 

The  heathen  for  thine  inheritance ; 

Yea,  the  limits  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession. — 

9.  Thou  shalt  crush  them  with  a  rod  of  iron ; 
Thou  shalt  shiver  them  like  a  potter's  vessel.' 

10.  Be  wise  now,  therefore,  O  ye  kings  ! 
Be  admonished,  ye  judges  of  the  land  ! 

11.  Obey  Jehovah  with  fear, 
And  rejoice  with  trembling. 
Kiss  the  Son — lest  he  be  angry, 
And  ye  perish  straightway 

When  his  wrath  is  but  just  kindled. — 
Blessed  are  all  they  that  take  refuge  in  him ! 

The  fourteenth  and  fifty-third  psalms,  which  are  almost 
verbally  alike  throughout,  are  generally  thought  to  have 
been  composed  by  David  ;  and  Dr.  G.  supposes  in  a  time 
when  profligacy,  everywhere  gaining  ground,  had  be- 
come almost  universal.  If  it  were  in  this  fearful  state  of 
things  that  the  royal  prophet  composed  these  psalms,  they 
cannot  but  be  regarded  as  peculiarly  expressive.  I  shall 
here  present  Dr.  Good's  translation  of 

PSALM  XIV. 

ON    THE    SUPREME  :    BY    DAVID. 

1.  'No  God  !'  saith  the  profligate  in  his  heart. 

They  are  corrupters:  they  practise  abominable  ascendancy. 
Not  one  doeth  good. 

2.  Jehovah  looked  down  upon  mankind  from  heaven, 
To  see  if  there  were  any  that  had  understanding 
To  seek  after  God. 

3..     They  are  all  led  astray  ; 

They  are  altogether  contaminated  : 
Not  one  doeth  good — not  even  one. 


DR.  MASON   GOOD.  211 

4.  Have  all  the  dealers  in  iniquity  no  sense, 
Devouring  my  people  as  they  devour  bread  ? — 
They  call  not  upon  Jehovah  ! — 

5.  Fearfully  therefore  shall  they  fear. 
Behold,  God  is  in  the  community  of  the  just. 

6.  Ye  would  put  to  shame  the  adversary  of  the  helpless  ! 
Behold,  Jehovah  is  their  refuge  : 

7.  Who  shall  give  forth  from  Zion  salvation  unto  Israel : 
Then  shall  he  reverse  the  bondage  of  his  people ; 
Jacob  shall  exult,  Israel  shall  leap  for  joy. 

The  110th  psalm,  which  was  also  composed  by  David 
himself,  has  every  indication  of  its  prophetic  character. 
It  forms  a  striking  parallelism  with  the  2d  psalm. 

"  Both  (says  Dr.  Good)  relate  to  the  priesthood  and 
kingly  dignity,  to  the  exaltation  and  enthronement  of 
Messiah,  and  to  his  triumphant  career  over  his  enemies. 
Both  also  contain  the  solemn  adjuration  of  Jehovah,  upon 
his  installation,  in  the  words  of  the  Almighty  speaker 
himself,  confirmed  by  a  repetition  of  the  oath,  King 
David  being  also,  in  both  odes,  the  utterer  of  all  the  rest 
in  his  own  person.  The  chief  distinction  consists  in  the 
clear  and  exclusive  application  of  the  whole  of  the  pre- 
sent psalm  to  the  history  of  the  Messiah." 

PSALM  CX. 
A  Psalm  of  David. 

1.  Jehovah  hath  proclaimed  to  my  Lord, 
'  Be  thou  seated  on  my  right  hand 

Until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool.' 

2.  From  Zion  shall  Jehovah  stretch  forth 
The  sceptre  of  thy  might ; 
Triumphantly  in  the  midst  of  thine  enemies. 

3.  Exuberant  shall  be  thy  people 
In  the  day  of  thy  power  ; 

In  the  glories  of  holiness. 

Beyond  the  womb  of  the  morning 

Shall  flow  forth  the  dew  of  thine  increase. 

4.  Jehovah  hath  sworn,  and  he  will  not  repent, 
'  For  evermore  art  thou  a  Priest 

After  the  order  of  Melchisedcc.' 

5.  At  THY  right  hand  shall  my  Lord 

Strike  through  kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath  : 

6.  He  shall  give  judgment  among  the  heathen. — 


212  ACCOUNT   OP   THE    WORKS    OF 

The  chief  glutted  with  carnage 
Shall  he  smite  throughout  the  wide  earth. 
7.      The  occupier  in  the  way  shall  he  set  on  high, 
So  that  he  shall  be  exalted  a  chief. 

The  psalms  being  obviously  intended  for  the  public 
worship  of  the  Jews,  are  many  of  them  adapted  to  choral 
and  responsive  singing;  it  is  evident,  therefore,  that  an 
attention  to  this  peculiarity  in  their  structure,  will  often 
serve  to  give  them  additional  spirit  and  energy,  and  often, 
indeed,  to  elucidate  their  meaning.  Some  striking  and 
elegant  attempts  to  develope  the  minutire  of  structure  in 
this  respect  have  been  made  by  Delany,  in  his  "  Life  of 
King  David,"  by  Kennicott,  Horsley,  and  others;  but 
the  process  requires  the  utmost  caution,  lest  the  imagina- 
tion should  take  the  lead  of  the  judgment.  Dr.  Good, 
with  his  anxious  desire  to  exfoliate  the  true  meaning  of 
these  divine  compositions,  has,  on  various  occasions,  ex- 
hibited his  view  of  the  probable  choral  division  of  the 
poem.  Thus,  in  psalm  cxviii.  which  he  regards  as  written 
by  David,  for  a  thanksgiving  ode  on  a  successful  termina- 
tion of  the  wars  in  which  he  had  been  engaged,  to  be 
sung  by  the  assembled  Israelites,  with  the  priests,  &c. 
David  himself  taking  a  part  ;  he  presents  the  following, 
as  the  most  probable  choral  divisions. 

PSALM  CXVIII. 

(General  Chorus,  or  House  of  Israel.) 

1.  O  give  thanks  to  Jehovah,  for  he  is  good  : 
For  his  tender  mercy  is  to  everlasting. 

(Chorus  of  Priests,  or  House  of  Aaron.) 

2.  Let  Israel,  now,  declare 

That  his  tender  mercy  is  to  everlasting. 

(General  Chorus.) 

3.  Let  the  house  of  Aaron,  now,  declare 
That  his  tender  mercy  is  to  everlasting. 

(Chorus  of  Priests.) 

4.  Let  them,  now,  that  fear  Jehovah,  declare 
That  his  tender  mercy  is  to  everlasting. 

(King  David.) 

5.  I  called  upon  Jehovah  in  distress ; 
Jehovah  answered  me  at  large. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  213 

6.  Let  Jehovah  be  for  me,  I  will  not  fear 
Whatever  man  may  do  unto  me. 

7.  Let  Jehovah  be  for  me,  be  with  my  succour  ; 
And  of  mine  adversaries  I  will  never  be  afraid. 

(Chorus  of  Priests.) 

8.  It  is  better  to  trust  in  Jehovah 
Than  to  put  confidence  in  man. 

9.  It  is  better  to  trust  in  Jehovah 
Than  to  put  confidence  in  princes. 

(King  David.) 

10.  Let  all  the  nations  beset  me  round  about, 

In  the  name  of  Jehovah,  behold,  I  would  destroy  them. 

11.  Let  them  beset  me,  yea,  round  about  let  them  beset  me, 
In  the  name  of  Jehovah,  behold,  I  would  destroy  them. 

12.  They  have  beset  me  as  bees  ; 

They  are  quenched  as  the  blaze  of  thorns.* 

In  the  name  of  Jehovah,  bohold,  I  have  destroyed  them. 

13.  Forcibly  didst  thou  thrust  at  me  ; 

But  Jehovah  succoured  me  in  the  assault. 

14.  Jehovah  is  my  strength  and  my  song  : 
Verily,  he  is  become  my  salvation. 

(Chorus  of  Priests.) 

15.  Let  the  voice  of  triumph  and  salvation 
Be  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  righteous. 

The  right  hand  of  Jehovah  hath  displayed  prowess. 

(General  Chorus.) 

16.  The  right  hand  of  Jehovah  is  exalted  : 

The  right  hand  of  Jehovah  hath  displayed  prowess. 

(King  David.) 

17.  I  shall  not  die  ;  but  live, 

And  tell  forth  the  deeds  of  Jehovah. 

*  Dr.  Delany,  in  his  "  Life  of  King  David,"  (vol.  i.  p.  373.)  dilates  very 
forcibly  upon  the  rich  and  beautiful  imagery  of  this  celebrated  "  epinicion." 
"  It  is  familar  (he  says)  with  David,  to  couch  such  images  in  three  words, 
as  would,  in  the  hands  of  Homer,  be  the  materials  of  his  noblest,  most  en- 
larged, and  most  dignified  descriptions."  Thus,  he  takes  two  examples 
from  this  twelfth  verse  : — 

"  They  (that  is,  all  nations)  compassed  me  about  like  bees ; — 
"  They  are  quenched  as  the  Jire  of  thorns. 

"  The  reader  (says  the  Doctor)  has  here,  in  miniature,  two  of  the  finest 
images  in  Homer,"  and  he  quotes  two  passages  from  Pope's  Homer, 
book  ii.  ver.  209,  &c.  ver.  534,  <fcc.  in  which  both  images  are  most  ex- 
quisitely wrought  out.  He  then  adds,  "  The  candid  reader  will  observe, 
that  here  the  idea  of  an  army's  resembling  a  flaming  fire,  is  common  both 
to  Homer  and  David  ;  but  that  the  idea  of  that  fire  being  quenched  (when 
the  army  was  conquered)  is  peculiar  to  David."  In  the  "  Prayer  Book" 
translation  of  the  Psalms,  as  Dr.  Delany  remarks,  the  two  images  are  by 
mistake  blended  as  though  they  were  but  one — '  They  came  about  ine  liko 
bees,  and  are  extinct,  even  as  the  fire  among'  the  thorns,' 


214  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

18.  Correctly  did  Jehovah  correct  me  ; 
But  lie  gave  rne  not  up  unto  death. 

19.  Open  to  me  the  gates  of  RIGHTEOUSNESS: 

I  will  enter  them — I  will  give  thanks  unto  Jehovah. 

(Chorus  of  Priests.) 

Opening  the  gate;  before  ichich  the  Congregation  had  hitherto 
been  standing. 

20.  This  is  the  gate  of  Jehovah  : 
Into  it  let  the  righteous  enter. 

(King  David,  having  entered  with  the  Congregation.) 

21.  I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee,  for  thou  hast  answered  me  ; 
And  art  become  my  salvation. 

(Chorus  of  Priests.) 

22.  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected 
Is  become  the  head  stone  of  the  corner : 

23.  From  Jehovah  hath  this  proceeded  : 
It  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

(General  Chorus.) 

24.  This  is  a  day  Jehovah  hath  made  : 
Let  us  exult  and  rejoice  in  it. 

(King  David.) 

25.  Save,  now,  I  beseech  thee,  O  Jehovah  !* 
Jehovah,  I  beseech  thee,  be  thou  now  propitious  ! 

(Chorus  of  Priests.) 

26.  Blessed  be  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  : 
From  the  house  of  Jehovah  we  give  you  blessing. 

(General  Chorus.) 

27.  Jehovah  is  God — and  he  is  shining  upon  us. 

Bind  the  victim  with  cords  up  to  the  horns  of  the  altar. 

(King  David.) 

28.  Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee  : 
Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  exalt  thee. 

(General  Chorus.) 

29.  O  give  thanks  to  Jehovah,  for  he  is  good; 
For  his  tender-mercy  is  to  everlasting. 

Much  do  I  fear,  after  all,  that  the  portions  of  my  de- 
ceased friend's  translations  and  notes,  here  selected,  are 
but  inadequate  specimens  of  the  value  and  interest  of  his 
undertaking,  generally.  I  trust,  however,  that  the  public 
will  soon  have  better  means  of  forming  a  correct  judg- 
ment. Meanwhile,  I  may  venture  to  affirm  that  in  this 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  215 

his  last  labor,  which  he  commenced,  pursued,  and  closed, 
with  so  much  unmingled  pleasure,  his  main  objects  were 
to  promote  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of  man  ;  to 
detect  the  correspondences  and  affinities  which  subsist  in 
many  points  between  the  works  of  Nature,  the  move- 
ments of  Providence,  and  the  riches  of  Divine  Grace ; 
to  trace  the  characters  of  the  principal  writers  of  the 
Psalms,  and  as  far  as  possible  to  unfold  the  circumstances 
in  which  they  composed  those  touching  and  instructive 
odes  ;  and  to  sho-.v,  especially,  with  regard  to  David,  not 
simply  how  he  should  be  viewed  as  a  Monarch  and  a  Pro- 
phet, but  how  he  should  be  appreciated  as  a  lover  of  Na- 
ture, whose  spacious  and  outspread  volume  "  formed  his 
daily  and  delightful  study  :  he  pored  over  it  with  the  eye 
of  a  painter,  as  he  copied  it  with  the  pen  of  a  poet,  and 
colored  it  with  the  warmth  of  a  devout  he:irt." 

On  comparing;  the  Dissertation  and  Notes  which  ac- 
company this  Translation  of  the  Psalms,  with  those 
which  are  published  with  Dr.  Good's  Translation  of  the 
Book  of  Job,  we  perceive  a  great  difference,  not  in  point 
of  talent,  but  in  reference  to  the  simple  exhibition  of  de- 
vout sentiment.  In  the  former  there  is  much  learning, 
much  research,  and  some  display  :  in  the  latter,  also,  the 
learning  and  research  are  equally  evident ;  but  they  are 
evinced  in  their  results,  not  in  the  effort  of  the  author  : 
whose  intellect  seems  absorbed  while  his  devotion  is  en- 
kindled by  the  holy  inspiration  of  the  sublime  composi- 
tions, to  which  his  best  feelings  were  so  long  enchained. 
Hence,  I  think  it  will  be  found  that  though  the  fancy  has 
sometimes  predominated  in  sketching  the  history  of  the 
several  psalms,  yet,  with  regard  to  fixing  the  precise 
meaning  of  the  text,  a  more  uniform  sobriety  of  interpre- 
tation prevails  than  in  any  of  our  author's  previous  at- 
tempts as  a  sacred  commentator.  This  peculiarity  will 
demand  and  receive  a  commensurate  share  of  the  public 
confidence  and  esteem. 


The  analysis,  interspersed  with  copious,  and  I  hope 
instructive  extracts,  which  has  thus  been  presented,  of 
the  most  important  of  Dr.  Good's  publications,  and  other 


216  ACCOUNT    OF    THE    WORKS    OF 

completed  works,  will  render  it  unnecessary  for  me  to  at- 
tempt an  elaborate  delineation  of  his  intellectual  cha- 
racter. 

The  leading  faculty  was  that  of  acquisition,  which  he 
possessed  in  a  remarkable  measure,  and  which  was  con- 
stantly employed  from  the  earliest  age,  in  augmenting 
his  mental  stores.  United  with  this,  were  the  faculties 
of  retention,  of  orderly  arrangement,  and  of  fruitful  and 
diversified  combination.  If  genius  be  rightly  termed 
"  the  power  of  making  new  combinations  pleasing  or 
elevating  to  the  mind,  or  useful  to  mankind,"  he  pos- 
sessed it  in  a  high  degree.  He  was  always  fertile  in  the 
production  of  new  trains  of  thought,  new  selections  and 
groupings  of  imagery,  new  expedients  for  the  extension 
of  human  good.  But  if  genius  be  restricted  to  "  the 
power  of  discovery  or  of  creative  invention,"  whether  in 
philosophy  or  the  arts,  they  who  have  most  closely  ex- 
amined Dr.  Good's  works  will  be  least  inclined  to  claim 
for  him  that  distinction.  Be  this,  however,  as  it  may, 
there  can  be  no  question  that  his  intellectual  powers  were 
of  the  first  order,  that,  in  the  main,  they  were  nicely 
equipoised,  and  that  he  could  exercise  them  with  an 
unusual  buoyancy  and  elasticity.  His  memory  was  very 
extraordinary  ;  doubtless  much  aided  by  the  habits  of  ar- 
rangement, so  firmly  established,  as  the  reader  will  recol- 
lect, by  sedulous  parental  instruction.  His  early  acquired 
fondness  for  classical  and  elegant  literature,  laid  his  youth- 
ful fancy  open  to  the  liveliest  impressions,  and  made  him 
draw 

"  The  inspiring  breath  of  ancient  arts, 

and  tread  the  sacred  walks. 

Where,  at  each  step,  imagination  burns  :" 

and  this,  undoubtedly,  again  aided  his  memory  ;  the  pic- 
tures being  reproduced  by  constant  warmth  of  feeling. 
The  facility  with  which  on  all  occasions  he  could  recall 
and  relate  detached  and  insulated  facts,  was  peculiarly 
attractive  and  not  less  useful.  But  the  reason  is  very 
obvious.  However  diverse,  and  even  exuberant,  the 
stores  of  his  knowledge  often  appeared,  the  whole  were 
methodized  and  connected  together  in  his  memory  by 
principles  of  association  that  flowed  from  the  real  nature 
of  things  ;  in  other  words,  philosophical  principles,  by 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  217 

means  of  which  the  particular  truths  arc  classified  in 
order  under  the  general  heads  to  which  they  really  be- 
long ;  serving  effectually  to  endow  the  mind  that  tho- 
roughly comprehends  the  principles  with  an  extensive 
command  over  those  particular  truths,  whatever  be  their 
variety  or  their  importance. 

With  the  mathematical  sciences  he  was  almost  entirely 
unacquainted  ;  but,  making  this  exception,  there  was 
scarcely  a  region  of  human  knowledge  which  he  had  not 
entered,  and  but  few,  indeed,  into  which  he  had  not  made 
considerable  advances;  and  wherever  he  found  an  en- 
trance, there  he  retained  a  permanent  possession  ; — for, 
to  the  last,  he  never  forgot  what  he  once  knew. 

In  short — had  he  published  nothing  but  his  "Trans- 
lation of  Lucretius,"  he  would  have  acquired  a  high 
character  for  free,  varied,  and  elegant  versification,  for 
exalted  acquisitions  as  a  philosopher  and  as  a  linguist, 
and  for  singular  felicity  in  the  choice  and  exhibition  of 
materials  in  a  rich  store  of  critical  and  tasteful  illustra- 
tion. 

Had  he  published  nothing  but  his  "  Translation  of  the 
Book  of  Job,"  he  would  have  obtained  an  eminent  sta- 
tion amongst  Hebrew  scholars,  and  the  promoters  of 
biblical  criticism. 

And,  had  he  published  nothing  but  his  "  Study  of 
Medicine,"  his  name  would,  in  the  opinion  of  one  of  his 
ablest  professional  correspondents,  have  "  gone  down  to 
posterity,  associated  with  the  science  of  medicine  itself, 
as  one  of  its  most  skilful  practitioners,  and  one  of  its 
most  learned  promoters." 

I  know  not  how  to  name  another  individual  who  has 
arrived  at  equal  eminence  in  three  such  totally  distinct 
departments  of  mental  application.  Let  this  be  duly 
weighed  in  connexion  with  the  marked  inadequacy  of  his 
early  education  (notwithstanding  its  peculiar  advantages 
in  some  respects)  to  form  either  a  scientific  and  skilful 
medical  practitioner,  or  an  excellent  scholar,  and  there 
cannot  but  result  a  high  estimate  of  the  original  powers 
with  which  he  was  endowed,  and  of  the  inextinguishable 
ardor  with  which,  through  life,  he  augmented  their 
energy  and  enlarged  their  sphere  of  action. 

19 
I 


218  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 


SECTION  III. 

A  DEVELOPEMENT  OF  DR.  GOOD'S  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER, 
ILLUSTRATED  1JY  EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  LETTERS,  AND 
HIS  OWN  UNPUBLISHED  WRITINGS. 

IF,  in  a  country  excursion,  we  meet  a  peasant,  and  are 
told  that  he  is  a  hearty  eater,  an  active  walker,  and  a 
sound  sleeper,  we  receive  the  information  with  the  same 
indifference  as  we  should  if  it  were  given  relative  to  a 
horse,  or  other  animal,  that  was  passing  at  the  same  mo- 
ment ;  but  if,  in  addition,  we  are  informed  that  this  peasant 
has  written  elegant  poetry,  or  composed  some  beautiful 
music,  or  translated  several  of  Horace's  odes,  or  made 
himself  master  of  the  theory  of  astronomy,  we  gaze  upon 
him  with  a  very  different  interest.  And  why  is  this,  but 
because  we  find  that  instead  of  spending  his  life  in  merely 
exercising  the  functions  of  the  body,  or  indulging  the 
appetites  and  senses,  he  has  learned  to  exercise  the  intel- 
lectual faculties  ?  The  obvious  superiority  of  the  mind 
to  the  body,  accounts  for  our  deeper  interest  in  the  sup- 
posed case;  and,  in  like  manner,  for  the  solicitude  with 
which  we  commonly  listen  to  relations  of  the  habits,  the 
peculiarities,  the  general  appearance,  and  the  disposition, 
as  well  as  the  mode  of  study,  of  those  who  have  become 
distinguished  for  literary  or  scientific  knowledge.  This 
is  all  well,  as  far  as  it  goes  ;  but  unless  it  advance  one 
step  farther,  it  is  sadly  defective,  notwithstanding.  When 
we  recognize  the  distinction  between  the  body  and  the 
mind,  and  mark  the  inferiority  of  the  former,  the  supe- 
riority of  the  latter,  have  we  done  everything  that  philo- 
sophy, or  even  common  sense,  requires ;  why  have  we 
neglected  to  bring  into  our  estimate  that  essence  of  "  the 
Divinity  that  stirs  within  us  ;"  that  awful  all-pervading 
sentiment,  which,  independently  of  our  own  spontaneity, 
nay,  in  spite  of  it,  intermingles  the  "  longing  after  im- 
mortality" with  the  dread  of  futurity ;  that  which  makes 
a  man/ee/,  let  him  acknowledge  it  or  not,  that  "he  shall 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  219 

give  an  account  for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether 
they  be  good  or  evil  ?"  The  distinction  between  the 
faculties  of  man  as  an  accountable  being,  and  his  attri- 
butes as  an  intellectual  being,  is  as  palpable,  and  as  diffi- 
cult to  be  evaded  by  inquirers  who  deal  fairly  with  them- 
selves and  with  their  species,  as  the  distinction  between 
mind  and  matter,  or  the  active  energy  of  thought,  and 
the  inertia  of  a  stone.  Let  the  veriest  sceptic  attempt  to 
reduce  the  power  of  conscience,  for  example,  to  a  mere 
intellectual  principle,  that  shall  have  no  reference  to  a 
Supreme  Governor  and  the  universal  Judge,  and  he  will 
find  it  as  impossible  as  to  refer  the  phenomena  of  the 
tides  to  the  force  of  imagination,  or  those  of  an  eclipse  to 
the  creative  speculations  of  a  man  of  genius. 

Man  is  as  certainly  a  creature  endowed  with  moral 
responsibility,  as  he  is  a  being  possessed  of  a  body  to  be 
moved,  and  a  mind  to  regulate  the  motions  by  its  own 
volition.  He  is  constituted  to  be  a  religious  being;  it  is 
his  grand  distinction,  and  all  around  him,  duly  used, 
and  contemplated  with  a  right  mind,  invites  him  to  it. 
Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes, — to  the  heavens,  to  the 
earth,  to  the  seas,  to  the  worlds  above  us,  to  the  worlds 
beneath,  to  the  myriads  of  beings  animate  and  inanimate, 
which  surround  us,  to  the  worlds  beyond  our  ken,  to 
which  the  imagination  makes  its  excursions,  to  the  world 
within,  where  our  soberest  and  deepest  thoughts  are  some- 
times drawn,  "  above,  about,  and  underneath  "  we  behold, 
with  an  evidence  that  stifles  all  doubt,  that  God  exists, 
exists  to  rule,  and  hence  to  be  obeyed,  exists  to  bless,  and 
therefore  to  be  loved. 

From  trains  of  reasoning  differing  much  from  these, 
but  leading  to  the  same  result,  even  Lord  Herbert  could 
infer  that  "  there  is  no  man  well  and  entirely  in  his  wits, 
that  doth  not  worship  some  deity ;"  and  that  there  was 
less  absurdity  in  admitting  there  could  be  "  a  rational 
beast,  than  an  irreligious  man,"  the  terms  of  the  latter 
proposition  being  more  repugnant  to  sound  reason  than 
those  of  the  former.  If,  then,  it  be  impossible  to  contem- 
plate the  nature  of  man  in  all  the  perfection  and  beauty 
of  which  it  is  susceptible,  without  adverting  to  religion ; 
if  the  influence  of  religious  principle  render  him  the 
wisest,  the  happiest,  and  the  most  useful  he  is  capable  of 


220  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

becoming,  giving  to  his  intellectual  faculties  an  energy,  a 
scope,  and  an  extent  of  beneficial  application,  otherwise 
unknown  ;  it  surely  becomes  a  duty,  in  attempting  to 
delineate  the  character  of  an  individual,  to  mark  upon  the 
portrait  the  moral  and  religious  as  well  as  the  mental  fea- 
tures, and  thus  to  exhibit  him  as  he  really  was,  with  regard 
to  those  constituents  of  our  being  which  confer  the  greatest 
dignity,  and  excite  the  liveliest  admiration. 

But  here,  we  are  especially  exposed  to  difficulties,  and 
beset  with  prejudices.  "  The  inind,  (as  Lord  Bacon  long 
ago  remarked,)  darkened  by  its  covering  the  body,  is  far 
from  being  a  flat,  equal,  and  clear  mirror,  that  receives 
and  reflects  the  rays  without  mixture,  but  rather  a  magi- 
cal glass  full  of  superstitions  and  apparitions."  Thus,  an 
omission  which  one  class  may  regard  as  blameable,  ano- 
ther may  applaud  ;  and  consequently  the  attempt  to  sup- 
ply such  omission,  which  to  the  former  class  may  seem 
expedient,  will  probably  be  regarded  by  the  other  as  alto- 
gether unnecessary.  Yet  both  classes  cannot  be  right ; 
and  a  few  additional  remarks  may  tend  to  shew  where  the 
error  lies. 

With  the  great  mass  of  mankind,  the  assumed  law  of 
human  action  is  a  law  of  reputation,  easily  accommodated 
to  circumstances  and  character,  and  very  seldom  indicat- 
ing a  defective  measure.  The  historian  Palcrculus  ap- 
pealed to  that  law  when  he  said  of  the  cruel  Scipio  sEmi- 
lianus,  that  "  in  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  he  neither 
did,  nor  said,  nor  thought,  any  thing  but  what  was  lauda- 
ble." Hume  proved  how  thoroughly  he  comprehended 
the  same  law,  when  he  defined  virtue  as  consisting  "  in 
those  mutual  actions  and  qualities  that  give  to  a  spectator 
the  pleasing  sentiment  of  approbation."  And  the  equally 
ardent  lovers  of  virtue  in  the  dark  ages  were  quite  as  cor- 
rect, when,  according  to  Dr.  Robertson,  they  justified  the 
prevailing  custom,  for  "  every  person  to  choose,  among 
the  various  codes  of  laws  then  in  force,  that  to  which  he 
was  most  willing  to  conform." 

In  this  age  of  intellectual  and  religious  illumination, 
the  scales  of  moral  judgment  are,  too  often,  equally 
defective.  I  need  not  attempt  to  sketch  the  characters 
of  the  successful  commercial  man,  the  able  barrister, 
the  skilful  physician,  the  man  of  deep  and  fortunate 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  2*21 

research,  and  many  others  in  every  profession  and  every 
rank,  who  have  passed  through  the  world  without  raising 
a  serious  thought  towards  their  Creator  and  Preserver,  or 
prescribing  to  themselves  any  code  of  morals  except  that 
which  accorded  most  with  the  modes  and  fashions  of  their 
respective  classes,  and  kept  God  and  his  will  most  out  of 
sight.  Yet,  who  dare  censure?  nay,  who  must  not  com- 
mend 1  For  whom  have  they  injured  ?  What  law  have  they 
broken  ?  If  the  case  is  to  be  decided  by  the  law  of  cour- 
tesy, or  of  worldly  reputation,  who  but  must  praise?  if  by 
the  laws  of  their  country,  they  must  stand  unirnpeached. 
Still,  a  thoughtful  man  may  venture,  notwithstanding,  to 
hint,  that  there  is  a  law,  less  fleeting,  awfully  binding, 
nobly  universal, — the  law  of  Him  who  is  "  a  discerner  of 
the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart,"  who  demands  a 
surrender  of  all  our  faculties  and  affections  to  his  service, 
in  "  whose  sight  even  the  heavens  are  not  clean,"  and 
before  whom  something  is  required  which  a  conformity 
to  the  laws  of  honor,  courtesy,  and  reputation,  cannot 
alone  supply. 

Many,  I  am  aware,  will  try  to  evade  this  conclusion, 
by  taking  refuge  in  the  current  sophism,  that  "  man  is 
not  responsible  for  his  opinions."  Yet,  if  it  be  so,  if  a 
human  creature  is  free  from  all  responsibility  on  account 
of  his  opinions,  for  what  is  he  responsible  ?  His  actions  ? 
But  why  for  them  ?  Why  should  man  be  responsible  for 
an  action,  when  an  animal  is  not?  Obviously,  because 
he  has  a  spring  of  action  which  an  animal  has  not ;  and 
is  any  one  who  flees  to  so  defenceless  a  refuge,  able  to 
demonstrate  that  this  spring,  this  motive,  in  no  case  de- 
pends upon  opinion  ?  It  is  possible  for  an  acute  disputant 
to  take  shelter  again  under  an  equivoque  ;  but  let  him 
assign  the  fair  and  palpable  meaning  to  the  word  opinions, 
in  connexion  with  the  occasion  for  which  it  was  adduced, 
and  this  again  will  fail  him.  Erroneous  opinions  with 
respect  to  others,  evidently  influence  our  behavior  towards 
them,  behavior,  which  will  be  open  to  either  praise  or 
censure ;  and  erroneous  opinions  with  regard  to  politics, 
to  religion,  to  the  limits  of  speculation  in  commerce,  have 
in  every  age,  in  almost  every  nation,  been  productive  of 
the  greatest  evils.  Did  these  evils  involve  no  respon- 
sibility ?  If  so,  with  what  semblance  of  reason  could  the 
19* 


222  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OF 

leaders  or  the  followers  in  any  party,  religious  or  political, 
blame  those  of  the  opposite  party  for  the  results  of  their 
conduct  1  The  blame  (whether  it  be  correctly  applied,  or 
the  contrary,  is  not  the  question,)  the  blame  is  nit-ant  to 
be  most  severe  when  it  is  pointed,  not  at  an  error  of  judg- 
ment, but  at  an  error  in  the  principles  or  the  opinions  (for 
practically  they  are  the  same)  from  which  the  censured 
course  of  action  emanated.  Besides,  if  the  proposition 
here  controverted  were  true,  what  would  be  the  benefit  of 
freedom  of  inquiry  1  If  correct  and  incorrect  opinions  are 
equally  safe,  equally  free  from  blame,  equally  conducive 
to  honor  in  this  world  and  to  happiness  in  the  next,  (all 
of  which  the  proposition  implies,)  nothing  can  be  more 
absurd  than  for  a  man  to  waste  his  time  in  trying  to  dis- 
tinguish one  from  another. 

Let,  however,  the  inquiry  be  confined  strictly  to  morals 
and  religion.  A  youth  is  of  opinion,  let  it  be  supposed, 
that  he  is  able  to  regulate  his  own  conduct,  without  re- 
garding the  suggestions  of  his  father,  as  by  attending  to 
them.  In  consequence  of  this  erroneous  opinion,  he 
neglects  to  read  a  letter  of  wise  and  salutary  caution,  and 
soon  falls  into  the  very  vices  against  which  the  letter  was 
calculated  to  guard  him.  Is  he  not  responsible  for  this  ? 
But,  it  may  be  said,  he  was  of  opinion  that  the  letter  was 
not  actually  written  by  his  father,  and,  therefore,  neglect- 
ed it.  Then  surely  responsibility  attaches  to  him,  for  not 
having  recourse  to  the  means  by  which  he  might  ascer- 
tain whether  the  letter  was  really  written  and  sent  by  his 
parent,  or  was  a  forgery ;  and  thus  have  so  decided  as  to 
escape  those  vices.  It  is  enough  to  hint  at  the  manifest 
application  of  this  to  men  whose  principles  lead  them  day 
after  day  into  evil ;  who  know,  notwithstanding,  that  the 
Bible  demands  attention  as  the  record  of  their  Heavenly 
Father's  will,  and  yet  are  of  opinion  that  they  may  go 
safely  through  the  world,  and  incur  no  responsibility, 
although  they  never  investigate  the  claims  of  the  Word  of 
God  to  the  veneration  which  it  demands,  never  acquaint 
themselves  with  its  contents,  never  bring  themselves  under 
its  sanctions,  never  obey  its  precepts,  never  dread  the 
gulf  of  perdition  which  it  threatens,  never  aspire  after  the 
regions  of  bliss  to  which  it  invites. 

Once  more,  to  evince  the  fallacy  of  this  too  popular 


DR.  MASON    GOOD.  223 

sentiment.  Is  it  not  probable,  that  many  persons,  when 
they  read  or  hear  that  "  man  is  not  responsible  tor  his 
opinions,"  may  wish  to  believe  it  true,  from  an  internal 
conviction  that  the  loose  and  faulty  opinions  upon  which 
they  have  acted,  have  either  precipitated  them  into  vice, 
or  not  operated  to  preserve  them  from  it  ?  And  may  not 
the  wish  issue  in  the  actual  adoption  ?  Whence  proceed- 
ed that  wish  and  its  result,  but  from  the  conviction  that 
they  had  committed  some  wrong,  from  the  effects  of  which 
this  sentiment  enables  them  in  imagination  to  escape  ? 
Here,  then,  the  state  of  the  heart,  and  the  felt  defects  in 
the  conduct,  prepare  the  mind  for  the  adoption  of  an 
opinion  :  belief  is  evidently  here  a  voluntary  act;  proving 
infallibly  that,  in  the  case  supposed,  (and  if  in  that,  why 
not  in  every  other  ?)  men  art  responsible  for  the  opinions, 
or  sentiments,  or  principles,  which  they  adopt.  Let  the 
young,  especially,  bear  this  in  their  thoughts,  before  a 
course  of  vice,  or  of  simple  neglect  of  duty,  make  them  in- 
terested in  the  rejection  of  the  truth.  Let  them  be  assured, 
that  in  very  many  instances  they  are  accountable,  even  to 
man,  for  the  actions  which  grow  out  of  their  opinions  and 
sentiments,  and  in  all  cases  accountable  to  the  Supreme 
Being  for  the  sentiments  themselves  ;  that  everything 
with  regard  to  opinions  is  important ;  that  responsibility 
is  incurred  by  embracing  them  too  hastily,  holding  them 
in  ignorance,*  or  retaining  them  too  long;  that  their  mo- 
ment bears  a  fixed  relation  to  the  subjects  to  which  they 
refer ;  and  that  therefore,  those  are  most  momentous 
which  have  regard  to  God,  the  soul,  and  eternity  :  that 
the  highest  duty  of  man  is  to  Him  who  is  "  The  Highest," 
and  the  greatest  crime,  that  which  is  committed  against 
the  greatest  authority. 

The  consideration  of  these  errors  has  carried  me  far- 
ther than  I  intended  ;  but  it  will  not  be  found  entirely 
irrelative  to  some  of  the  subsequent  matter. 

I  will  now  advert  to  what  I  am  disposed  to  regard  as  a 
prejudice  or  mistake  on  the  contrary  side.  It  is  often 
asserted,  that  medical  men  are  more  inclined  to  indiffer- 

*  The  apostles  ascribed  the  condemnation  and  crucifixion  of  the  Saviour 
to  the  Jewish  iynoraiicf  of  the  true  sense  of  their  own  Scriptures  ;  Acts  iii. 
17,  18.-,  xiii.  27,  °2«. ;  1  Cor.  ii.  3.  Yet,  they  dealt  with  that  ignorance  as 
an  awful  crime,  and  exhorted  them  to  repeal  of  it ;  Acls  ii.  23.  j  iii.  19. 


224  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OF 

ence  in  religion,  and,  in  fact,  to  infidelity,  than  any  other 
class  of  men.  It  would,  of  course,  be  difficult,  if  not  im- 
possible, to  institute  an  actual  computation  ;  but  if  there 
could,  I  suspect  the  result  would  be,  that  lawyers,  civil 
engineers,  chemists,  mathematicians,  astronomers,  com- 
mercial men,  and,  in  Germany  at  least,  even  theologians, 
would  supply  as  great  a  proportion  of  persons  either  pro- 
fessedly infidels,  or  totally  indifferent  to  all  religion,  as 
the  medical  profession.  The  principal  reason  in  each 
and  all  is  the  same.  The  mind,  while  left  to  itself,  is  so 
completely  absorbed  in  its  selected  pursuit,  whether  it  be 
of  literature,  science,  or  business,  as  to  have  neither  time 
nor  inclination  to  turn  to  so  serious  a  concern  as  that  of 
religion.  If  a  few  short  intervals  of  leisure  can  be  stolen 
from  such  incessant  occupation,  what  can  be  so  salutary, 
and  what  so  harmless,  as  in  those  brief  moments  to  avoid 
everything  gloomy,  and  allow  the  intellect  and  soul  to 
expatiate  in  the  regions  of  conviviality  and  pleasure  ? 
Thus,  amid  the  uninterrupted  alternations  of  employment 
and  hilarity,  no  space  being  appropriated  to  the  most  in- 
teresting as  well  as  elevated  of  all  topics,  it  is  altogether 
neglected  ;  a  fleeting  consciousness  of  the  neglect,  inter- 
mingled too  often,  we  may  fear,  with  a  persuasion  (which 
cannot  with  the  utmost  effort  be  entirely  shut  out)  that 
sin  has  been  actually  committed,  as  well  as  a  binding 
duty  omitted,  by  a  natural  process  renders  the  mind  eager 
to  escape  from  itself  into  the  regions  of  uncertainty,  indif- 
ference, and,  it  may  be,  scepticism.  Slight  modifications 
in  the  causes  will  produce  commensurate  variations  in  the 
effects';  but  the  general  result  will,  I  apprehend,  be  nearly 
the  same  with  regard  to  all  the  specified  classes.  Literary 
and  scientific  men  will  evidently  be  tempted  more  often 
to  announce  their  scepticism,  where  it  exists,  than  men 
engrossed  in  commercial  pursuits  ;  and  thus  it  may  incor- 
rectly be  inferred  to  prevail  more  in  those  classes  than  in 
the  latter.  Medical  men,  intermingling  more  with  general 
society,  from  their  professional  vocation,  will  agrJn,  on 
that  account,  be  farther  exposed  to  the  charge  than  even 
others  who  have  enjoyed  a  scientific  education  :  yet  I 
apprehend  scarcely  any  real  difference  will  be  found  ;  or, 
if  there  should,  that  it  is  at  once  imputable  to  the  dissolute 
habits  indulged  by  many  young  persons  of  that  profession 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  "2*25 

durinsf  their  attendance  at  the  hospitals,  remote  from  pa- 
rental watchfulness,  and  free  from  the  restraints  of  moral 
discipline.  The  latter  source  of  evil  will,  it  is  hoped,  be 
nearly  extinguished  in  a  few  years  ;  in  consequence  of  the 
great  improvements  rapidly  making  in  every  department 
of  medical  education,  and  the  strong  desire  evinced  by 
several  eminent  men,  that  there  should  be  incorporated 
with  the  habits  of  study,  such  rules  as  shall  best  insure 
the  professional  benefits,  while  they  most  effectually  check 
the  contamination  of  loose  principles. 

Another  fallacy  in  judgment,  to  which  I  must  briefly 
advert,  since  it  is  applicable  to  the  main  object  of  the 
present  section  of  these  memoirs,  is  that  which  induces 
many  to  affirm,  or,  at  least,  to  assume,  whether  they  as- 
sert it  or  not,  that  changes  of  sentiment  on  any  great  po- 
litical or  religious  question  imply  a  want  of  genuine  prin- 
ciple. That  such  changes  often  result  from  a  defect  in 
principle,  or  inconsideration,  or  in  both,  there  can  be  no 
question  :  but  that  they,  at  least,  as  frequently  flow  from 
the  operation  of  intellectual  or  moral  causes,  to  which  no 
blame  can  be  justly  imputed,  is  equally  unquestionable. 
And  probably  many  more  such  changes  would  occur,  and 
would  be  openly  announced,  were  men  more  true  to  them- 
selves, more  resolved  to  obey  the  dictates  of  their  con- 
science, and  to  pursue  to  their  legitimate  conclusions,  in 
principle  and  in  practice,  those  important  trains  of  thought 
relative  to  topics  of  highest  interest,  which  often  suggest 
themselves  spontaneously,  and  which  they  can  only  ex- 
tinguish by  doing  violence  to  their  best  feelings,  at  the 
beck  of  some  sordid  and  secondary  motive.  That  can- 
not be  a  right  rule  of  judgment,  which  would  universally 
make  the  notions  acquired  in  early  life,  resulting  quite  as 
often  from  accident  or  prejudice,  as  from  judicious  intel- 
lectual culture,  the  standard  of  action  through  the  whole 
course  of  human  existence  ;  which  would,  for  example, 
cast  blame  upon  Luther  for  not  always  remaining  a  pa- 
pist, because  at  the  commencement  of  his  career  of  re- 
formation he  had  violently  professed  himself  such  ;*  and 

*  "  Let  the  reader  know  (says  he)  that  I  was  formerly  a  monk,  and  that 
when  I  engaged  in  the  cause  of  Reformation,  I  was  a  most  frantic  papist 
(papislam  iusauissimum ;)  so  intoxicated,  nay,  so  drenched  in  the  dogmas 


226  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

would  equally  commend  Erasmus,  having  once  declared 
himself  a  Roman  Catholic,  for  remaining  one  to  the  end 
of  his  life,  although  he  again  and  again  poured  the  whole 
torrent  of  his  ridicule  upon  Romish  superstitions,  and 
levelled  his  severest  censures  against  papal  tyranny. 

On  all  such  occasions,  it  is  highly  desirable  that  our 
judgment  should  be  regulated  by  the  suggestions  of  libe- 
rality and  candor,  and  that  we  should  not  blame  merely 
because  an  individual  has  quitted  the  party  to  which  we 
might  have  attached  ourselves  :  recollecting  that  the  party 
he  joins  may  be  fully  as  much  inclined  to  commend  as 
we  are  to  blame ;  and  that  if  either  the  censure  or  the 
commendation  be  directed  to  the  mere  change,  without 
having  endeavored  to  ascertain,  and  free  from  prejudice 
to  appreciate,  the  real  motives  which  effected  it,  they 
who  indulge  in  such  hastily  formed  sentences  of  condem- 
nation or  acquittal  may  be  more  culpable  than  the  persons 
whose  conduct  they  undertake  to  judge.  It  ought  also 
to  be  recollected,  that  though  the  decisive  step  which 
marks  the  ultimate  issue  in  a  change  of  sentiments,  may 
by  its  suddenness  excite  surprise  and  enkindle  doubts, 
among  those  who  know  nothing  of  the  mental  or  consci- 
entious process  which  has  really  been  going  on  ;  it  may, 
notwithstanding,  have  been  conducted  with  the  utmost 
circumspection,  the  successive  steps  may  have  been  taken 
with  the  most  laudable  deliberation,  often,  too,  accompa- 
nied by  very  painful  struggles  at  the  disruption  of  old  as- 
sociations, which  prejudice,  affection,  and  time,  may  have 
alike  contributed  to  strengthen.  "  Each  mind  (says  one 
of  our  most  profound  moral  writers*)  possesses  in  its  in- 
terior mansions  a  solemn  retired  apartment  peculiarly  its 
own,  into  which  none  but  himself  and  the  Divinity  can 
enter.  In  this  retired  place,  the  passions  mingle  and 
fluctuate  in  unknown  agitations."  When  the  man  comes 

of  the  pope,  that  I  was  quite  ready  to  put  to  death,  had  I  been  able,  or  to 
co-operate  with  those  who  would  have  put  to  death,  persons  who  refused 
obedieuce  to  the  pope  in  any  single  article.  Thus,  I  was  not  ice  and  frigidity 
in  defending  the  papacy,  like  Eckius  and  his  associates,  who  appeared  to 
me  to  act  more  from  self-interest  than  from  conviction.  Even  lo  this  day 
they  seem  to  me  to  do  the  same,  and  to  make  a  mockery  of  the  pope.  I, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  thoroughly  in  earnest.'' — Luther's  Preface  to  his 
Works. 

*  Foster,  Essay  on  a  Man's  writing  Memoirs  of  Himself. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  227 

forth  from  this  retirement,  to  render  palpable  to  the  world 
the  result  of  his  converse  with  himself,  and,  it  may  be, 
with  his  God,  must  we  of  necessity  censure,  because  the 
course  of  his  proceedings  is  different  from  what  it  for- 
merly was  '. 

One  great  evil  of  this  fallacious  judgment,  especially 
since  it  prevails  so  extensively,  is,  that  it  tends  to  check 
the  spontaneous  operations  of  the  mind,  to  stifle  all  honest 
inquiry  ;  and  tempts  the  young  and  the  timid  rather  to 
continue  satisfied  with  their  present  notions,  however 
crude,  or  even  dubious,  than  run  the  risk  of  odium,  by 
so  cautiously  scrutinizing  opposed  sentiments  and  max- 
ims, as  to  feel  themselves  compelled  to  adopt  new  princi- 
ples of  action,  and  evince  their  energy  by  corresponding 
conduct. 

It  tends,  moreover,  to  deprive  a  man  of  all  the  advan- 
tage which  accrues  from  experience.  He  may  watch  the 
unfolding  of  events,  the  vicissitudes  of  nations,  the  de- 
struction of  old  systems  of  law  and  government,  the  es- 
tablishment of  others  totally  new,  the  unprecedented  dif- 
fusion of  intellectual  and  religious  knowledge,  the  rapid 
growth  and  extent  of  missionary  exertions,  and  may  trace 
some  of  the  providential  arrangements  from  which  all 
these  have  emanated  ;  yet  he  must,  nevertheless,  remain 
what  he  \vas,  or  expose  himself  to  censure  for  not  pre- 
tending to  be,  what  none  but  God  can  be, — immutable. 

I  shall  not  be  understood  to  countenance  or  to  palliate 
thoughtless  and  hasty,  much  less  unprincipled,  modifica- 
tions of  sentiment  or  action  :  such  as  evidently  spring 
from  love  of  wealth,  or  of  fame,  or  of  po\ver,  from  an 
unreasonable  dread  of  the  current  terms  of  reproach, 
from  that  "  fear  of  man  which  bringeth  a  snare  :"  1  have 
simply  meant  to  expose  and  deplore  a  mistaken  rule  of 
judgment,  the  evil  effects  of  which  I  have  often  observed. 
No  thinking  man  is  the  same,  in  point  of  intellect,  at 
sixty  years  of  age,  as  he  was  at  forty,  or  at  twenty ;  nor 
probably  will  he  have  remained  the  same  in  point  of  moral 
conduct,  the  minor  topics  of  religious  sentiment,  the  man- 
ifestations of  devotion,  or  the  actual  state  of  his  own 
heart.  Why  should  a  spurious  moral  rule  be  permitted  to 
check  the  acknowledgement  of  the  intervening  changes? 
Why  should  we  not  rather,  in  all  cases,  where  in  the 


228  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

judgment  of  charity  there  is  reason  to  believe  they  have 
resulted  from  honest  and  honorable  motives,  be  solicitous 
to  trace  the  real  sources  from  which  they  have  sprung,* 
and  thus  to  enlarge  that  truly  valuable  department  of 
knowledge,  the  knowledge  of  man  ? 

But  the  reader  will  probably  think  it  more  than  time 
that  I  should  close  these  preliminary  discussions,  and 
proceed  to  the  main  object  of  this  section. 

The  Rev.  Peter  Good,  I  have  long  ago  remarked,  was 
a  man  of  extensive  information,  and  of  exemplary  cha- 
racter, communicating  to  his  sons  the  rudiments  of  a  sound 
and  useful  education,  training  them  to  habits  of  order, 
and  by  example  as  well  as  precept  inviting  them  to  the 
practice  of  piety.  So  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  from  the 
opinions  of  those  who  knew  him,  and  from  many  of  his 
private  papers  which  I  have  carefully  examined,  I  should 
regard  him  as  a  man  of  correct  religious  sentiments, 
according  to  the  evangelical  interpretation  of  the  plan  of 
salvation.  Yet  I  suspect  that  both  ho  and  his  estimable 

*  One  of  the  most  instructive  portions  of  one  of  our  most  valuable  pieces 
of  auto-biography,  Richard  Baxter's  ''  Xarrutire  of  his  Life  and  Times," 
is  that  in  which  he  minutely  developes,  with  remarkable  frankness  and 
honesty,  several  changes  in  his  own  views,  with  regard  to  disputation,  mat- 
ters of  opinion  as  distinguished  from  matters  of  faith,  modes  of  preaching, 
different  degrees  of  moral  and  religious  certainty,  zeal  for  the  conversion 
of  the  heathen,  &.c.  between  his  early  manhood  and  old  age.  One  short 
passage,  in  illustration  of  his  manner  and  his  spirit,  to  those  who  are  not 
acquainted  with  his  writings.  I  will  here  insert.  ''  I  do  not  la}'  so  great  a 
stress  upon  the  external  modes  and  (onus  of  worship  as  many  young  pro- 
fessors do.  I  have  suspected  myself,  as  perhaps  the  reader  may  do.  that 
this  is  from  a  cooling  and  declining  from  my  former  zeal,  (though  the  truth 
is,  I  never  much  complied  with  men  of  that  mind  :)  but  1  find  that  judg- 
ment and  cliarity  are  the  causes  of  it,  as  far  as  I  am  able  to  discover.  I 
cannot  be  so  narrow  in  my  principles  of  church-communion  as  many  are — 
that  are  so  much  for  a  liturgy,  or  so  much  against  it.  so  much  for  ceremo- 
nies, or  so  much  agninsi  them,  lhal  they  can  hold  communion  with  no  church 
that  is  not  of  their  mind  and  wny.  If  I  were  among  the  Greeks,  the  Lu- 
therans, the  Independents,  yea,  the  Anabaplists,  (that  own  no  heresy,  nor 
set  themselves  against  charily  and  peace.)  I  would  hold  sometimes  occa- 
sional communion  with  them  as  Christians,  (if  they  will  give  me  leave, 
without  forcing  me  to  any  sinful  subscription  or  action.)  Though  my  most 
vsual  communion  should  be  with  that  society  which  I  thought  most  agreea- 
ble to  the  word  of  God,  if  I  were  free  to  choose.  I  cannot  be  of  their 
opinion,  that  think  God  will  not  accept  him  that  praycth  by  the  Common 
Prayer  Hook,  and  that  such  forms  are  a  self-invented  worship  which  God 
rejecleth  :  nor  can  I  be  of  their  mind,  that  say  the  like  of  extemporary 
prayers." — Life,  p.  133.  folio  edition. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  229 

relative,  Mr.  Mason,  thought  less  seriously  of  the  conse- 
quences of  erroneous  speculation  in  reference  to  matters 
of  faith,  than  a  due  consideration  of  the  nature  of  man 
as  a  fallen  creature,  or  the  history  of  man  as  an  erring 
creature,  will  warrant.* 

John  Mason  Good,  on  quitting  the  residence  near  his 
father  at  llavant,  to  seek  professional  advantages  in  Lon- 
don, and  afterwards  to  settle  at  Sudbury,  felt  a  high  re- 
spect lor  religion  and  religious  men,  and  expressed  a  de- 
cided belief  in  the  genuineness  and  divine  authority  of 
the  scriptures ;  but  with  very  inadequate  notions  of  the 
importance  of  correct  religious  sentiment.  The  ardor 
with  which  he  went  through  his  medical  engagements, 
and  the  avidity  with  which  he  divided  his  hours  of  leisure 
between  the  contending  fascinations  of  literature  arid  of 
society,  left  scarcely  any  space  into  which  the  concerns 
of  eternity  could  enter.  He  was  busy  and  happy,  re- 
spected in  his  professional  capacity,  and  esteemed  in  pri- 
vate life;  but  he  lived,  it  is  to  be  feared,  without  "  God 
in  the  world."  Disinclined,  however,  from  joining  the 
ranks  of  infidelity,  then  most  numerously  occupied,  he 
continued  to  avow  his  belief  in  the  holy  scriptures,  and 
in  a  manuscript  essay,  still  extant,  descanted  in  favor  of 
the  Credibility  of  Revelation,  and  refuted  some  of  the 
popular  objections.  Thus,  with  regard  to  the  objection 
of  the  leading  infidels  at  the  beginning  'of  the  eighteenth 
century,  that  the  Christian  religion  wanted  universality, 
being  totally  restricted  to  some  particular  countries,  and 
therefore  came  not  from  "  the  God  of  the  whole  earth," 
he  presents  these  observations  : — 

"  That  without  such  an  universal  communication,  there 
must  be  an  infinite  distance  subsisting  between  man  and 

*  "  Helief  workedi :  belief  of  any  thing  vvorketh  :  belief  of  a  part  of 
Christianity  workcth  a  parti.il  conformity  to  Christianity;  and  belief  of  the 
whole  worketh  universal  obedience.  .  .  .  Nothing-  is  more  common  than  for 
men  to  form  gross  notions  of  God,  and  of  Christian  doctrine  ;  and  as  surely 
as  they  do  form  them,  they  act  agreeably  to  their  notions.  All  truths  have 
a  worth  ;  but  the  truths  of  religion  are  the  first  in  value,  and  ought  to  be  the 
first  in  rank.  The  gospel  is  truth  and  virtue  struggling  against  error  and 
vice.  .  .  .  That  false  doctrine  doth  harm,  cannot  be  doubted.  It  hath  hurt 
the  bodies,  the  understandings,  the  consciences,  and  the  tempers,  of  man- 
kind :  it  hath  injured  the  reputation,  the  property,  the  peace,  the  lives  and 
liberties,  of  thousands.  It  hail)  suppressed  genius,  perverted  government  : 
what  evil  hath  it  not  done  ?" — R.  Robinson. 

20 


230  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

man,  is  most  obvious.  But  it  is  a  difference  which  equally 
subsists  through  other  departments  of  the  present  life  ; 
and  which  the  most  superficial  observation  must  discover. 
Why  is  one  man  endowed  with  the  utmost  luxuriance  of 
health  and  self-enjoyment,  while  his  nearest  neighbor, 
perhaps,  languishes  beneath  the  most  wretched  existence 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave?  Whence  this  infinite  par- 
tiality and  disproportion  in  the  dispensation  of  riches, 
talents,  and  domestic  felicity  ?  Why,  in  effect,  was  the 
world  at  large  created  in  the  manner  in  which  we  find  it? 
The  Laplander  enjoys  not  the  delights  of  an  Italian  sky, 
nor  the  swarthy  African  the  temperate  breezes  of  the 
north.  The  shores  of  Sicily  are  visited  with  earthquakes 
and  volcanoes  ;  and  those  of  Jamaica  and  the  other  West 
Indian  islands  with  the  most  tremendous  hurricanes  and 
whirlwinds.  The  wisdom,  the  liberties,  and  the  elegan- 
cies of  Greece,  have  for  ever  fled  from  the  Archipelago, 
and  the  once  barbarous  cliffs  of  Britain  have  received 
and  cultivated  them  with  success.  Whence  these  im- 
mense differences  and  inequalities  ?  Why,  in  this  man- 
ner, are  some  nations,  without  any  superior  merit  of  their 
own,  admitted  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  happiest  climates 
and  political  advantages,  while  millions  of  their  fellow- 
creatures,  of  equal  original  desert,  are  for  ever  excluded 
from  the  participation  ? 

"  That  such  differences  exist,  is  one  of  the  most  obvi- 
ous facts  in  nature  :  and  that  the  Author  of  them  is  infi- 
nitely wise  and  beneficent,  is  certain  to  a  demonstration. 
But  if  they  be  thus  producible  by  a  Being  of  such  infinite 
perfections,  in  every  other  instance, — why  should  we 
deem  them  incapable  of  being  produced  in  the  single 
instance  of  the  promulgation  of  an  immediate  revelation 
from  heaven  ?  There  are  mysteries,  even  in  nature,  which 
we  cannot  investigate,  paradoxes  which  we  can  never  re- 
solve :  and  if  we  expect  to  find  fewer  in  religion,  in  the 
relation  which  subsists  between  the  Creator  and  his  crea- 
tures, we  have  indeed  but  little  pursued  such  kinds  of 
studies,  and  must,  in  a  thousand  instances,  find  ourselves 
perplexed  and  disappointed." 

At  this  time,  much  as  he  might  admire  the  general 
system  of  revelation,  and  acutely  as  he  could  defend  it 
against  objectors,  he  sought  not  for  tranquillity  and  bliss 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  231 

in  the  way  which  it  prescribes.  In  an  essay  "  On  Hap- 
piness," composed  about  the  same  period,  he  reasons 
himself  very  elaborately  into  the  persuasion  that  there  is 
an  intimate  connexion  "  between  morals  and  natural  phi- 
losophy ;"  that  "  the  same  spark  that  shoots  through  the 
mind  the  ray  of  science  and  information,  diffuses  through 
the  heart  the  softer  energies  of  nature  ;"  and  he  thus 
exhibits  the  final  issue  of  the  momentous  inquiry  : 

"  From  such  considerations  as  these,  then,  it  results 
that  he  is  pursuing  the  most  probable  path  to  human  fe- 
licity, who,  blessed  by  nature  with  a  soul  moderately  alive 
to  the  social  affections,  and  an  understanding  that  elevates 
him  above  the  prejudices  and  passions  of  the  ignorant, 
cultivates  with  a  sedulous  attention  the  one,  that  he  may 
best  enjoy  the  capacities  of  the  other." 

With  these  views  as  to  the  nature  of  happiness,  and 
the  best  mode  of  insuring  it ;  with  a  decided  avowal, 
moreover,  of  the  system  of  materialism,  and  that  of  the 
Universalists  with  respect  to  future  punishment,  he  se- 
lected for  his  principal  associates  some  gentlemen  who 
professed  their  belief  in  the  doctrines  of  modern  Socini- 
anism.  He  continued  associated  with  them  during  the 
last  two  or  three  years  of  his  residence  at  Sudbury  ;  and 
on  his  removal  to  London,  in  1793,  he  joined  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  congregations  of  that  persuasion  in  the 
metropolis,  with  which  he  remained  connected  until  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1807. 

Mr.  Good's  unequivocal  adoption  of  Socinian  senti- 
ments occasioned  great  uneasiness  to  his  father,  as  well 
as  to  some  of  his  near  relatives  at  Sudbury  ;  and  few  be- 
sides the  youngest  readers  of  these  memoirs  will  need 
to  be  told  that  this  uneasiness  sprung  from  sober  con- 
sideration, and  not  from  prejudice.  For,  if,  as  has  been 
remarked,  after  a  cautious  induction  of  particulars,  by 
one  of  the  most  elaborate  investigators  of  the  moral  ten- 
dencies of  that  system  which  rejects  the  Deity  and  atone- 
ment of  Christ, — "  if  it  be  unfriendly  to  the  conversion 
of  sinners  to  a  life  of  holiness,  and  of  professed  unbe- 
lievers to  faith  in  Christ  ;  if  it  be  a  system  which  irreli- 
gious men  are  the  first,  and  serious  Christians  the  last,  to 
embrace  ;  if  it  be  found  to  relax  the  obligations  to  vir- 
tuous affection  and  behavior,  by  relaxing  the  great  stan- 


232  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

dard  of  virtue  itself;  if  it  promote  neither  love  to  God 
under  his  true  character,  nor  benevolence  to  men,  as  it 
is  exemplified  in  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  ;  if 
it  lead  those  who  embrace  it  to  be  wise  in  their  own  eyes, 
and  instead  of  humbly  deprecating  God's  righteous  dis- 
pleasure, even  in  their  dying  moments,  arrogantly  to 
challenge  his  justice ;  if  the  charity  which  it  inculcates 
be  founded  on  an  indifference  to  divine  truth  ;  if  it  be 
inconsistent  with  an  ardent  love  of  Christ,  and  veneration 
for  the  holy  scriptures  ;  if  the  happiness  which  it  pro- 
motes be  at  variance  with  the  joy  of  the  gospel  ;  and, 
finally,  if  it  diminish  the  motives  to  gratitude,  obedience, 
and  heavenly-mindedness,  and  have  a  natural  tendency 
to  infidelity,  it  must  be  an  immoral  system,  and  conse- 
quently not  of  God.  It  is  not  the  gospel  of  Christ,  but 
another  gospel.  Those  who  preach  it,  preach  another 
Jesus,  whom  the  apostles  did  not  preach ;  and  those  who 
receive  it,  too  frequently  receive  another  spirit,  which 
they  never  imbibed.  It  is  not  the  light  which  cometh 
from  above,  but  a  cloud  of  darkness.  It  is  not  the  high- 
way of  truth,  which  is  away  of  holiness,  but  a  by-path  of 
error,  which  misleads  the  unwary  traveller  ;  and  of  which, 
as  we  value  our  immortal  interests,  it  becomes  us  to  be- 
ware."* 

Yet,  happily,  Mr.  Good  was  to  a  great  extent  pre- 
served from  the  worst  tendencies  of  this  system.  He 
was  too  learned  and  too  honest  ever  to  affirm  that  the 
belief  of  the  Divinity  and  atonement  of  our  Lord  was 
unknown  in  the  purest  age  of  the  church,  but  was  engen- 
dered among  other  corruptions  by  false  philosophy ;  and 
he  had  uniformly  too  great  a  regard  for  the  scriptures 'of 
the  New  Testament,  to  assert  that  the  apostles  indulged 
in  far-fetched  reasoning,  or  made  use  of  a  Greek  word, 
(fsnpym*,)  which  conveyed  an  erroneous  notion,  from 
want  of  knowledge  of  the  term  they  ought  to  have  em- 
ployed :  he  never  contended  that  St.  Paul  did  not  mean 
to  teach  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  in 
the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corin- 
thians ;  never  sported  the  pernicious  sophism  that  "  where 
mystery  begins  religion  ends."  Being  "  buried  alive"  in 
occupations,  and  immersed  in  vexations  of  no  ordinary 

*  Fuller's  "  Calvinistic  and  Socinian  Systems  compared  as  to  their  Moral 
Tendency." 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 


233 


occurrence,  he  did  not  commune  frequently  with  his  o\vn 
heart,  and  too  naturally  sunk  into  a  lamentable  indiffer- 
ence to  religion,  at  least,  if  that  word  correctly  imply 
"  converse  with  God  ;"  but  he  never  evinced  indifference 
to  truth  and  rectitude,  nor  ever,  I  believe,  became  in- 
voked in  the  more  awful  perplexities  of  scepticism. 

Indeed,  the  Bible  was  always  with  him  a  favorite  book  : 
though  for  many  years,  it  is  to  be  feared,  he  turned  to  it 
rather  as  a  source  of  literary  amusement,  or  of  critical 
speculation,  than  for  any  higher  purposes.  After  his 
death  there  was  found  an  interleaved  Pocket  Bible, 
bound  in  two  volumes,  in  which  he  often  entered  notes 
and  observations.  This  interesting  relic  is  now  in  my 
possession.  The  annotations  are  very  numerous,  and  by 
the  variations  in  the  hand-writing,  and  the  appearance 
of  the  ink,  mark  with  sufficient  accuracy  the  dates  of 
their  insertion,  from  1790,  when  they  were  commenced, 
until  about  IS:24,  when  he  found  the  type  in  which  the 
Bible  is  printed,  too  small  for  him  to  continue  reading  it 
with  comfort.  These  notes  present  decisive  proofs  of  the 
nature  of  his  sentiments  in  different  periods  of  his  life  ; 
and  in  some  cases  mark  his  solicitude  in  later  age  to  cor- 
rect the  errors  of  the  season  of  speculation  and  thought- 
lessness. I  shall,  therefore,  as  I  proceed,  select  a  few 
quotations. 

"  PSALM  xcix.  1.  *  He  sitteth  between  the  cherubims.' 
To  the  Jupiter  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  poets  were  as- 
signed a  chariot  and  horses  of  thunder — probably  from 
the  resemblance  between  the  noise  of  the  last  and  the 
rattling  of  the  first.  A  similar  fable,  Michaelis  observes, 
is  to  be  noticed  among  the  Hebrews,  and  the  cherubims 
are  expressly  the  horses  of  Jehovah's  chariot."  Written 
probably  about  1792. 

"  JOSHUA  vi.  5 — 20.  This  description  of  the  storming 
of  Jericho,  stript  of  poetical  imagery,  appears  to  be  noth- 
ing more  than  is  consistent  with  the  nature  of  common 
occurrences.  In  these  and  the  connected  verses,  a  kind 
of  siege  is  represented  in  the  first  place  by  the  encircling 
of  the  Israelites — and  this  encircling  might  have  been 
intended  to  produce  some  such  effect  as  the  modern  line 
of  circumvallation  : — at  length  the  sound  of  the  trumpets 
and  the  shouting  of  the  people  formed  the  signal  for  a 
*20 


234  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

general  attack.  In  consequence  of  which  assault,  the 
place  was  taken  by  storm,  and  the  walls  were  destroyed. 
The  books  of  Joshua  and  Judges  are  full  of  these  poeti- 
cal exaggerations,  agreeably  to  the  spirit  of  the  people  to 
which  they  relate." 

Again,  "  JOSHUA  x.  12,  13.  By  the  standing  still  of  the 
sun  arid  the  moon,  no  more  is  probably  meant  than  that 
the  battle  began  early  in  the  morning,  and  was  continued 
till  late  at  night,  after  the  moon  was  risen.  It  is  not  im- 
probable that,  in  the  ardor  of  pursuit,  Joshua  might  utter 
a  wish  that  the  day  were  lengthened,  to  give  him  an  op- 
portunity of  completing  the  advantage  he  had  gained 
over  his  enemies :  if  he  did  this — if  the  evening  were 
remarkably  light,  and  followed  by  a  storm  of  hail  and 
thunder,  by  which  the  enemy  was  thrown  into  farther 
confusion — what  would  be  more  natural,  in  a  song  of 
triumph,  than  to  represent  this  day  of  victory  as  exceed- 
ing others  in  length,  as  well  as  celebrity  1  and  the  hero, 
as  retarding  the  sun  and  moon  in  their  course,  and  hav- 
ing storms  and  tempests  at  his  command?" 

These  seem  to  have  been  written  before  the  annotator 
became  acquainted  with  Dr.  Geddes,  and  they  certainly 
are  not  sketched  with  the  boldness  with  which  that  learn- 
ed individual  proposed  his  explications  of  the  Hebrew 
narratives.  Such  attempts  to  evade,  by  irrational  conjec- 
tures, the  necessity  of  imputing  the  extraordinary  nature 
of  the  events  described  to  supernatural  intervention,  are 
certainly  unworthy  of  serious  refutation.  They  are  as- 
cribed, by  Mr.  Good,  to  a  German  critic,  /.  G.  Herder. 
It  is  gratifying  to  observe  that  nothing  of  equal  looseness 
and  puerility  presents  itself  among  the  remaining  notes. 

Shortly  after  the  date  of  the  preceding,  the  notes  be- 
came of  a  more  instructive  kind,  exhibiting  brief  accounts 
of  the  author,  epoch,  and  scope  of  the  several  books,  evi- 
dences of  their  authenticity,  characteristics  of  the  style 
and  manner  of  the  different  writers,  &c.  together  with 
new  translations  and  concise  explications  of  different 
texts.  A  few  of  the  latter  are  subjoined. 

"  PSALM  ii.  12.  '  Kiss  the  Son  :'  The  allusion  is  to  the 
practice  of  the  heathen  and  idolatrous  nations  around 
them,  among  whom  the  worshippers  were  accustomed  to 
kiss  their  images  as  a  proof  of  fervent  and  solemn  dcvo- 


DK.  MASON   GOOD.  235 

tion.  Hosea  refers  to  this,  chap.  xiii.  2.  Cicero  mentions 
a  brazen  statue  at  Agrigentum,  worn  down  in  the  features 
of  the  mouth  by  the  frequent  kissing  of  the  multitude. — 
See  Parkhurst,  p£?J,  p.  473."* 

"  PSALM  cxxxix.  15.  'When  I  was  wrought  with  a 
needle  in  the  depths  of  the  earth.'  This  is  a  proof,  with 
many  others,  of  the  frequency  of  the  allusion,  among  the 
Hebrews,  to  the  sacerdotal  robes.  See  Exodus  xxviii.  2. 
And  hence  the  frequent  allusions  to  them  which  we  meet 
with  in  the  sacred  poetry.  Isa.  Ixi.  10,  &-c.  The  inde- 
scribable texture  of  the  human  system  is,  therefore,  with 
much  propriety  compared  to  the  exquisite  needle-work  of 
the  high  priest's  vestments." 

RUTH  iv.  7.  In  the  Chajdee  paraphrase  '  plucked  off 
his  glove.'  Among  all  the  Eastern  nations  it  is  customary 
in  their  sales  and  deliveries  of  lands  and  goods,  &,c.  to 
pull  off  a  glove,  and  give  it  to  the  purchaser,  by  way  of 
investiture  or  livery.  Hence  the  practice,  in  the  feudal 
times,  of  throwing  a  glove  on  the  part  of  the  person  giving 
a  challenge.  The  king's  champion,  on  his  coronation, 
still  casts  his  glove  in  Westminster  Hall." 

"  PSJAI.M  cviii.  9.  '  Will  I  cast  out  my  shoe  ;'  according 
to  the  Rabbins,  '  my  glove  :'  i.  e.  I  have  made  a  vow,  or 
am  bound  to  conflict  with  them." 

"  2  SAM.  i.  18.  The  book  of  Jasher,  here  mentioned, 
is  only  quoted  in  one  other  place,  Josh.  x.  13.  where  the 
quotation  is  likewise  evidently  poetical,  and  forms  three 
distichs.  The  word  Jasher  implies  a  song,  or  singing  : 
thus,  ar  jasliir  Moshch,  '  then  sung  Moses  :'  so  that  it  is 
probable  this  book  was  a  collection  of  sacred  hymns, 
composed  at  different  times,  and  on  different  occasions. 

"nC'p  means  a  bow;  but  it  means  as  well  the  action 
of  the  instrument  as  the  instrument  itself,  and  this  in  a 
figurative  as  well  as  a  literal  sense,  '  ejaculation,  flight, 
sally.'  'Also  he  bade  them  teach  the  children  of  Israel 
the  ejaculation  (flight  or  sally  ;)  behold  it  is  written,'  &/C." 

*  To  adore  is  literally  to  lift  the  hand  to  the  month,  and  the  heathens 
expressed  their  devotion  in  this  way,  as  well  as  that  specified  above.  Thus, 
in  M'uiittiii.-<  F'lic,  "  Ccecilins,  simulacra  Serapidis  denotato.  vit  vulgus 
superstitiosus  solet,  manum  ori  admovens,  osculum  labiis  pressit.'7  "  Cceci- 
lius  observed  an  image  of  Serapis,  and  having  raised  his  hand  to  his  mouth, 
like  one  of  the  superstitious  vulgar,  he  kissed  it."  This  practice  is  obviously 
alluded  to,  in  Job  xxxi.  2G,  27,  28. 


236  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OF 

"  LUKE  xiii.  24.  '  Will  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not 
be  able.'  This  rendering  seems  to  contradict  Luke  xi.  9. 
'  Seek  and  ye  shall  find,'  as  also  the  entire  spirit  of  the 
gospel.  Let  the  verse  be  connected  with  the  ensuing, 
without  a  stop,  and  the  difficulty  is  removed. — '  Shall  not 
be  able,  when  once  the  master  of  the  house  has  risen  up, 
and  hath  shut  to  the  door.' " 

During  much  of  the  time  that  Mr.  Good  professed  Soci- 
nianism,  his  mind  (he  has  often  informed  me)  was  not  at 
ease.  Early  recollections  of  the  fruits  of  better  senti- 
ments often  assailed  him  ;  but  his  numerous  engagements, 
and  the  delights  of  the  literary  society  into  which  he  was 
introduced  soon  after  his  removal  to  London,  enabled  him 
in  great  measure  to  stifle  conviction,  and  to  glide  along 
upon  the  stream  with  external  gaiety,  not  always,  alas  ! 
accompanied  with  internal  serenity.  Happily,  however, 
he  was  exposed  to  other  influences,  and  especially  to  the 
domestic  influence  of  one  whose  affection,  consistency, 
and  discretion  in  reference  to  her  own  sentiments,  ope- 
rated permanently,  and  with  great  energy,  though  almost 
unconsciously  to  himself,  in  leading  him  to  the  right  path. 
This,  together  with  the  deportment  of  the  Socinians  with 
regard  to  religion,  their  obvious  want  of  fairness  in  con- 
ducting many  of  their  arguments,  their  intellectual  pride, 
and  the  sceptical  turn  of  mind  manifested  by  some  of 
them,  tended  considerably  to  produce  the  desired  change. 
To  the  effect  of  these  were  added  several  trying  pro- 
vidential dispensations  known  to  his  friends  ;  and  others, 
doubtless,  known  only  to  the  great  Searcher  of  hearts ; 
and  combined  with  all,  that  divine  energy  which  gave 
to  each  its  operation,  and  caused  conversations,  medi- 
tations, events,  so  to  "  work  together  for  good,"  that  he 
who  had  long  wandered  was  brought  back,  and  most 
cordially  adopted  the  language,  "  Return  unto  thy  rr.<t, 
O  my  soul,  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with 
thee!" 

"  When  you  are  weighing  tilings  in  the  balance,  (re- 
marks good  old  Baxter)  you  may  add  grain  after  grain, 
and  it  makes  no  turning  or  motion  at  all,  till  you  come  to 
the  very  last  grain,  and  then  suddenly  that  end  which 
was  downward  is  turned  upward.  When  you  stand  at 
a  loss  between  two  highways,  not  knowing  which  way  to 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 

go,  as  long  as  you  are  deliberate  you  stand  still  :  all  the 
reasons  that  come  into  your  mind  do  not  stir  you  :  but 
the  last  reason  which  resolves  you,  setteth  you  in  motion. 
So  is  it  (most  often)  in  the  change  of  a  sinner's  heart  and 
life:  he  is  not  changed  (but  preparing  towards  it)  while 
he  is  but  deliberating  whether  he  should  choose  Christ  or 
the  world  ?  But  the  last  reason  that  comes  in  and  deter- 
mineth  his  will  to  Christ,  and  makes  him  resolve  and  enter 
a  firm  covenant  with  him,  this  maketh  the  greatest  change 
that  ever  is  made  by  any  work  in  the  world.  For,  how 
can  there  be  a  greater  than  the  turning  of  a  soul  from 
the  creature  to  the  Creator  ?  so  distant  are  the  terms 
of  this  change.  After  this  one  turning  act,  Christ  hath 
that  heart,  and  the  main  bent  and  endeavors  of  the  life, 
which  the  world  had  before.  The  man  hath  a  new  end, 
a  new  rule,  a  new  guide,  and  a  new  master."* 

With  Mr.  Good,  it  was  very  evident  that  the  under- 
standing was  entirely  convinced,  long  before  the  heart 
was  transformed.  The  same  degree  of  communicated 
influence  does  not  so  manifestly  stimulate  some  disposi- 
tions as  it  does  others,  "  as  the  same  quantity  of  fire  will 
not  so  soon  put  solid  wood  into  a  flame  as  it  will  light 
straw,"  vat  the  latter  will  not  glow  so  much  nor  retain  its 
heat  so  long.  The  precise  epoch  of  the  change  was, 
therefore,  never  known  even  to  his  nearest  relatives;  but 
its  REALITY  was  indisputable ;  and  they  who  had  the 
most  frequent  opportunities  of  noticing  it,  deemed  it  ano- 
ther proof  of  that  striking  "diversity  of  operations  "  with 
which  "  the  same  Spirit  worketh  all  in  all."  However 
for  a  while  the  scales  might  seem  to  oscillate,  however 
longer  they  might  appear  quiescent,  "  the  last  grain"  was 
mercifully  applied,  and  the  indications  of  the  balance 
were  never  after  doubtful.  Renovation  of  heart  was 
proved  by  renovation  of  conduct,  and  the  graces  of  the 
Spirit,  burning  brighter  and  brighter,  were  truly  as  "  the 
shining  light,  which  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  per- 
fect day." 

Regarding  it,  therefore,  as  the  height  of  presumption, 
under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  to  attempt  to 
assign  the  period  of  this  essential  change  in  the  character 

*  Directions  for  Spiritual  Peace  and  Comfort,  p.  143. 


233  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

of  my  deceased  friend,  I  shall  simply  advert  to  some  lead- 
ing facts,  in  the  order  of  their  occurrence,  and  by  means 
of  his  own  papers,  and  other  documents  which  I  have 
been  allowed  to  consult,  endeavor  to  exhibit  their  impres- 
sion upon  his  mind  and  heart :  I  shall  afterwards  avail 
myself  of  the  most  satisfactory  evidence,  again  supplied 
principally  by  his  papers,  of  his  benevolence,  humility, 
and  devotion. 

In  narrating  the  principal  events  of  Mr.  Good's  life,  I 
gave  some  proof  (p.  62.)  of  the  deep  and  permanent  im- 
pression made  upon  his  spirits,  by  the  death  of  his  son, 
in  the  year  1803.  On  that  occasion,  as  on  many  others, 
he  endeavored  to  soothe  his  mind  by  poetic  composition ; 
and  from  among  the  pieces  written  to  alleviate  his  afflic- 
tion, I  select  the  following  : 

ELEGY  :    TO  THE  SUPREME. 

PSALM  XLII. 

As  for  the  fountain  pants  the  drooping  hart ; 

So  pants,  O  God,  my  thirsty  soul  for  thee — 
God  of  all  life  ! — so  faints  for  where  thou  art ; 

When,  O  my  God,  thy  presence  shall  I  see  ? 

Tears  are  my  food,  tears  only  night  and  day, 

While  the  proud  foe  cries,  "  Boaster  !  where's  thy  God  ?" 

O'er  the  keen  taunt  I  muse  in  dread  dismay, 
And  pour  my  soul  beneath  th'  afflictive  rod. 

Then  memory  wakes — the  days  when  I  have  gone 
With  crowds,  exulting,  to  thy  house  of  praise — 

What  shouts  of  triumph  then  outstripp'd  the  dawn, 
What  kindling  transports  fill'd  those  holy  days. 

But  why,  my  soul,  should  now  thy  courage  fail  ? 

Why  sink,  o'erwhelm'd  with  impotence  and  fear  ? 
No  :  trust  in  God — his  praise  shall  yet  prevail ; 

For  yet  my  God,  my  Saviour,  shall  appear. 

Short  boast !  for  still  I  faint :  but  I  will  still 

Call,  O  rny  God,  thy  kindnesses  to  view, 
O'er  Jordan's  banks  display 'd,  o'er  Mizar's  hill, 

And  tow'ring  Hermon  moist  with  morning  dew. 

As  when  the  bursting  waterspout  its  rage 

Empties  abrupt,  deep  roars  to  boiling  deep  ; 
Such  the  dread  war  my  shipwreck'd  spirits  wage, 

So  o'er  my  soul  thy  wrathful  billows  sweep. 


DB.  MASON  GOOD.  239 

Yet  will  the  Lord  his  servant  ne'er  forsake  ; 

Through  every  day  his  goodness  shall  attend: 
And  every  night  rny  grateful  song  shall  wake, 

My  prayer  to  God,  my  father  and  my  friend. 

O  !  hasten  then  ! — thy  wonted  smiles  afford  : 

Why  leave  me  thus  to  mourn  tlf  oppressor's  rod  ? 

Deep  through  each  bone  he  wounds  me,  like  a  sword, 
As  his  proud  tongue  cries,  "  Boaster  !  where's  thy  God  ?'' 

But  why,  my  soul,  should  thus  thy  courage  fail  ? 

Why  sink  o'erwhelm'd  with  impotence  and  fear? 
Trust — trust  in  God — his  praise  shall  yet  prevail  ; 

For  yet  my  God,  my  Saviour,  shall  appear. 

Severely  as  Mr.  Good  felt  this  affliction,  and  powerfully 
as  it  was  calculated  to  convince  him  that  other  principles 
than  those  which  he  had  for  some  years  avowed,  were 
necessary  to  sustain  the  soul  under  the  pressure  of  heavy 
chastisement,  he  was  not  yet  prepared  to  surrender  them. 
Except  at  short  intervals,  when  he  was  enabled  to  pursue 
some  emollient  trains  of  thought,  he  viewed  the  entire 
dispensation  in  an  erroneous  light,  and  yielded  far  more 
to  feelings  of  irritation  than  to  a  sentiment  of  submission. 
But,  indeed,  he  had  much  to  break  through,  as  well  as  to 
break  off;  so  that  considerable  time,  and  repeated  efforts, 
were  necessary  before  he  could  escape  from  the  enclosure 
within  which  he  had  suffered  his  better  faculties  to  be  im- 
prisoned. 

Still,  though  he  had  become  bewildered  by  the  adop- 
tion of  erroneous  sentiments,  he  never  entirely  lost  his 
love  of  truth :  and  hence  the  forced  and  unnatural  criti- 
cisms in  which  his  theological  friends  indulged,  and  the 
sceptical  spirit  which  some  of  them  manifested,  by  shock- 
ing his  uprightness,  contributed  almost  daily  to  his  ulti- 
mate emancipation. 

At  length,  the  sermons  of  the  minister  of  the  congre- 
gation with  which  he  had  connected  himself,  gave  him 
serious  pain  :  and  language  which  Mr.  Good  regarded  as 
equivalent  to  the  recommendation  of  scepticism,  led  to 
the  following  correspondence. 


240  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 


"  To  THE  REVEREND . 

"  Caroline  Place,  Jan.  26th,  1807. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  It  is  with  much  regret  I  feel   myself  compelled  to 

discontinue  my  attendance  at  the  Chapel  in , 

and  to  break  off  my  connexion  with  a  society  with  which 
I  have  cordially  associated  for  nearly  fourteen  years. 

"  I  sincerely  respect  your  talents,  and  the  indefatigable 
attention  you  have  paid  to  Biblical  and  theological  sub- 
jects :  I  have  the  fullest  conviction  of  your  sincerity,  and 
desire  to  promote  what  you  believe  to  be  the  great  cause 
of  truth  and  Christianity  ;  but  I  feel  severely  that  our 
minds  are  not  constituted  alike  ;  and  being  totally  inca- 
pable of  entering  into  that  spirit  of  scepticism  which  you 
deem  it  your  duty  to  inculcate  from  the  pulpit,  I  should 
be  guilty  of  hypocrisy  if  I  were  any  longer  to  counte- 
nance, by  a  personal  attendance  on  your  ministry,  a  sys- 
tem which  (even  admitting  it  to  be  right  in  itself)  is,  at 
least,  repugnant  to  my  own  heart,  and  my  own  under- 
standing. 

"  Without  adverting  to  subjects  which  have  hurt  me 
on  former  occasions,  I  now  directly  allude  to  various 
opinions  delivered  in  your  very  elaborate,  and,  in  many 
respects,  excellent  sermon  of  Sunday  last;  and  especially 
to  the  assertion  that  it  is  impossible  to  demonstrate  the 
existence  and  attributes  of  a  God ;  that  all  who  have  at- 
tempted such  demonstrations  have  only  involved  them- 
selves in  perplexity  ;  and  that  though  a  Christian  may 
see  enough  to  satisfy  himself  upon  the  subject,  from  a 
survey  of  the  works  of  nature,  he  never  can  prove  to 
himself  the  being  and  attributes  of  a  God,  clearly  and 
free  from  all  doubt. 

"  I  mean  merely  to  repeat  what  I  understood  to  be  the 
general  sense  of  the  proposition  ;  and  not  to  contend  that 
my  memory  has  furnished  me  with  your  own  words.  And 
here  permit  me  to  observe,  that  I  have  been  so  long 
taught  a  different  creed,  not  only  from  the  reasonings  of 
St.  Paul,  Rom.  i.  20.  and  elsewhere,  but  from  many  of 
the  best  theologians  and  philosophers  of  our  own  country, 
from  Sir  I.  Newton,  Clarke,  Barrow,  and  Locke,  that  I 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  241 

cannot,  without  pain,  hear  what  appears  to  me  a  princi- 
ple irrefragably  established,  treated  with  scepticism,  and 
especially  such  scepticism  circulated  from  a  Christian 
pulpit. 

"  I  have  thus,  privately,  unbosomed  my  motives  to  you, 
because,  both  as  a  minister  and  as  a  gentleman,  you  are 
entitled  to  them  ;  and  because  I  should  be  sorry  to  be 
thought  to  have  acted  without  motives,  and  even  without 
sufficient  motives.  My  esteem  and  best  wishes,  however, 
you  will  always  possess,  notwithstanding  my  secession 
from  the  Chapel,  for  I  am  persuaded  of  the  integrity  of 
your  efforts.  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  every  attention  you 
have  shown  me ;  and  shall,  at  all  times,  be  happy  to  re- 
turn you  any  service  in  my  power. 

"  I  remain,  Dear  Sir, 
"  Your  obliged  and  faithful  friend  and  servant, 

"J.  M.  GOOD." 

"  To  JOHN  MASON  GOOD,  ESQ.-  CAROLINE  PLACE. 

— ,  Jan.  27th,  1807. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you  for   your  polite  communication 

of  your  intention  to  withdraw  from Chapel, 

and  of  your  motives  for  that  determination.  Having  my- 
self exercised  to  so  great  an  extent  the  right  of  private 
judgment,  I  would  be  the  last  person  to  object  to  the  ex- 
ercise of  that  right  in  others. 

"  I  cannot,  however,  help  considering  myself  as  pe- 
culiarly unfortunate,  that  after  all  the  pains  which  I  have 
taken  to  establish  the  truth  of  the  Christian  revelation, 
I  should,  in  the  estimation  of  an  intelligent,  and,  I  would 
hope,  not  uncandid  hearer,  lie  open  to  the  charge  of  *'«- 
culcating  from  the  pit/pit  a  spirit  of  scepticism,  and  that 
the  allusion  which  I  made  on  Sunday  last  to  the  unsatis- 
factory nature  of  the  exploded  priori  demonstration  of 
the  divine  existence,  should  have  been  understood  as  a 
declaration  of  a  deficiency  in  the  proper  evidence  of  the 
being  and  attributes  of  God. 

"  I  certainly  would  not  myself  attend  the  ministry  of 
a  preacher  who  was  sceptical  either  in  the  divine  exist- 
ence, or  the  truth  of  the  Christian  revelation.  I  must, 

21 


242  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

therefore,  completely  justify  you  in  withdrawing  from  my 
ministry  while  you  entertain  your  present  views.  I  can 
only  regret  that  I  have  expressed  myself  inadvertently  in 
a  manner  so  liable  to  be  misunderstood  ;  and'  sincerely 
wishing  you  health  and  happiness, 

"  I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 


"  To  THE  REVEREND . 

"  Caroline  Place,  Jan.Wth,  1807. 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  I  am  ^obliged  to  you  for  your  letter,  and  add  only  a 
word  or  two,  in  explanation  of  a  single  phrase  which  you 
seem  to  regard  as  uncandid.  The  term  scepticism  I  have 
not  used  opprobriously,  but  in  the  very  sense  in  which 
you  yourself  seem  to  have  applied  it,  in  the  discourse  in 
question,  to  the  apostle  Thomas,  by  asserting,  upon  his 
refusal  to  admit  the  evidence  of  his  fellow-disciples,  as 
to  our  Saviour's  resurrection,  that '  it  is  possible,  perhaps, 
that  the  scepticism  of  Thomas,  may,  in  this  instance, 
have  been  carried  a  little  too  far.' 

"  I  quote  your  idea,  and  I  believe,  your  words.  And 
here,  without  adverting  to  other  expressions  of  a  similar 
nature,  suffer  me  to  close  with  asking  you,  whether  I  can 
legitimately  draw  any  other  conclusion  from  such  a  pro- 
position, than  that  a  scepticism,  in  some  small  degree 
short  of  that  manifested  by  St.  Thomas,  is,  in  the  opinion 
of  him  who  advances  that  proposition,  not  only  justifia- 
ble, but  an  act  of  duty  ?  and  that,  to  a  certain  extent,  he 
means  to  inculcate  the  spirit  or  disposition  on  which  it 
is  founded  1 

"  It  only  remains  that  I  repeat  my  sincere  wishes  for 
your  happiness,  and  that  I  am, 
"  Dear  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"  JOHN  MASON  GOOD." 

To  this  letter  Mr.  Good  received  no  reply. 
Shortly  afterwards,  in   writing  to   an  old   friend,   Dr. 
Disney,  who  had  then  quitted   London,  and  resided  at 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  243 

the  Hyde,  near  Chelmsford,  Mr.  Good  narrated  the  cir- 
cumstances which  occasioned  this  correspondence.  In 
the  Doctor's  reply,  he  thus  speaks  of  the  sceptical  spirit 
of  the  minister  from  whom  Mr.  Good  felt  compelled  to 
separate,  and  of  its  effects. 

"  It  has  long  been  the  favorite  scheme  of  a  certain 
person  to  speak  very  highly  of  scepticism, — and  I  have 
long  been  made  to  understand  that  his  commendation  of 
scepticism,  and  his  loose  manner  of  expressing  himself 
on  certain  subjects,  extensively  served  the  cause  of  infi- 
delity among  his  pupils.  I  never  cultivated  his  acquain- 
tance, for  reasons  which  I  thought  good  and  conclusive, 
while  resident  in  the  neighborhood  of  London,  and  in 
which  I  have  been  more  strongly  confirmed  since  I  left 
it.  I  feel  for  the  mortification  you  express,  and  have  only 
to  say,  I  most  cordially  wish  you  had  no  occasion  for  do- 
ing what  you  have  done." 

After  adverting  to  the  critical  state  of  our  public  affairs 
at  that  period,  he  adds, 

"  Still  I  do  not  despair  ;  but  the  discipline  will  be  se- 
vere. Now  scepticism  would  lay  me  prostrate  at  once : 
for  there  is  delusion  abroad  in  religion  as  well  as  in  poli- 
tics." 

The  separation  that  thus  took  place  between  Mr.  Good 
and  a  minister  and  congregation  with  which  he  had  been 
connected  for  nearly  fourteen  years,  would  naturally  lead 
to  a  re-examination  of  the  principles  and  notions  held  by 
them  in  common.  The  consequence  was,  a  gradual  sur- 
render of  all  the  characteristics  of  the  Socinian  creed  ; 
and  a  corresponding  adoption  of  sentiments  more  in  ac- 
cordance with  those  of  his  always  honored  father,  and  of 
his  valuable  relative,  Mr.  Mason,  upon  whose  religious 
views  he  now  meditated  with  a  renewal  of  his  early 
veneration.  He,  as  yet,  however,  scarcely  adverted  to 
them  but  as  mere  speculative  opinions,  simply  preferable 
to  those  he  had  just  abandoned  :  it  was  long  before  they 
assumed  the  character  of  principles  of  action,  and  issued, 
by  God's  blessing,  in  the  transformation  of  his  heart  and 
affections. 

For  public  worship  he  now  frequented  the  Temple 
Church,  where  the  powerful  reasoning  of  Dr.  Rennell,  often 
engaged  in  the  discussion  of  topics  which,  at  this  period, 


244  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

occupied  so  much  of  Mr.  Good's  attention,  served  to  con- 
firm him  in  the  propriety  of  the  step  he  had  taken.  After 
a  year  or  two,  he  frequently  attended  public  worship,  with 
his  family,  at  St.  Dunstan's  Church,  Fleet  Street,  and 
cultivated  with  the  vicar  an  intimate  intercourse,  which  I 
have  every  reason  to  believe  was,  in  the  best  sense,  bene- 
ficial to  him.  Then,  after  a  few  more  years,  the  greater 
proximity  to  his  own  residence,  and  still  more  a  cordial 
esteem  for  the  minister  and  his  doctrines,  led  him  to  wor- 
ship almost  constantly  at  St.  John's  Chapel,  Bedford 
Row  ;*  where  he  availed  himself  of  the  successive  pasto- 
ral labors  of  Mr.  Wilson  and  Mr.  Jerram,  until  he  passed 
from  all  worshipping  assemblies  here,  to  join  "  the  general 
assembly  and  church  of  the  Jirnt-born"  "  in  heaven." 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Good  detached  himself  from  the 
Socinians  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Marsden,  Senior  Chaplain  of  the  Colony  of  New  South 
Wales,  who  returned  to  England  early  in  1807,  and 
remained  until  May,  I8C9:  in  order,  first  to  convince  the 
government  at  home  of  the  perilous  state  in  which  he  left 
the  colony,  and  secondly,  to  point  out,  and  persuade  them 
to  adopt,  the  best  means  for  its  rescue  and  amelioration ; 
with  an  ulterior  object,  namely,  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity among  the  heathen  natives  of  the  Australasian 
islands.  This  excellent  individual,  as  distinguished  for 
his  engaging  simplicity,  and  his  genuine  candor,  as  for 
the  unswerving  intrepidity  with  which  he  devotes  himself 
to  purposes  of  the  purest  Christian  benevolence,  no  sooner 
developed  his  plans  to  Mr.  Good,  than  he  found  the  ardor 
of  a  generous  spirit  united  with  his  own  in  promoting  the 
same  great  objects.  When  Mr.  Marsden  was  in  London, 
they  were  together  daily  ;  and  when  the  pursuit  of  any  of 
his  laudable  purposes,  commercial,  mechanical,  political 
or  religious,  took  him  for  a  season  from  the  metropolis,  he 
kept  up  a  constant  correspondence  with  his  friend.  The 
result  was,  indeed,  an  inviolable  friendship  of  the  highest 
order,  productive  of  benefit  to  both  parties — Mr.  Marsden 
deriving  knowledge  incessantly  from  Mr.  Good,  in  every 
department  of  art,  science,  and  literature,  which  seemed 

*  Occasionally,  however,  he  attended  at  Christ-Church,  Newgate  Street, 
where  his  friend,  the  Rev.  T.  Hartwell  Home,  discharged  part  of  the  cleri- 
cal duty. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  245 

likely  to  conduce  to  either  the  civilizing  or  evangelizing 
of  the  Australasian  world ;  Mr.  Good  deriving  as  inces- 
santly, but  perhaps  unconsciously,  a  growing  admiration 
of  the  true  sublimity  of  humble,  unassuming,  but  un- 
questionable and  active  piety.  He  wondered,  as  he  often 
told  me,  at  the  self-denying  spirit,  which,  at  the  sacrifice 
of  much  personal  comfort,  would  pass  from  the  northern 
to  the  southern  extremity  of  England  ;*  on  merely  hear- 
ing of  something  which  might  probably  be  turned  to  the 
benefit  of  the  outcasts  in  Botany  Bay,  or  of  the  rude  in- 
habitants of  New  Zealand  ;  he  endeavored,  as  one  who 
loved  to  trace  phenomena  to  their  causes,  to  ascertain 
the  principles  from  which  this  unremitting  exertion 
sprung;  he  traced  it  (for  he  often  assured  me  he  could 
find  no  other  clue)  to  the  elevating  influence  of  divine 
grace  ;  and  he  could  not  but  indulge  the  often-repeated 
wish  that  his  own  motives  were  as  pure  and  refined,  and 
his  own  conduct  as  exemplary,  as  those  of  his  much 
valued  friend.  From  this  intercourse,  also,  and  Mr. 
Good's  subsequent  meditation  upon  it,  as  well  as  from  an 
uninterrupted  correspondence  on  the  same  topics,  up  to 
the  time  of  Mr.  Good  s  death,  much  religious  advantage, 
I  doubt  not,  resulted. 

From  1808,  to  the  beginning  of  1812,  Mr.  Good  devoted 
a  great  portion  of  his  Sunday  mornings  and  evenings  to 
his  Translation  of  the  book  of  Job,  and  the  large  body 
of  notes  which  accompanies  it.  Though  many  of  these 
are  strictly  of  a  literary  character,  yet  there  are  others 
that  relate  to  the  most  solemn  topics, — as,  human  accoun- 
tability, human  misery,  sin,  death,  the  resurrection,  an 
appointed  Redeemer,  a  future  judgment,  &.c.  and  which 
he  evidently  contemplated  with  the  deepest  seriousness, 
and  has  often  described  with  much  force  and  pathos. 
Still,  I  am  not  aware  that  there  is,  within  the  whole  com- 

*  The  first  time  I  saw  Mr.  Marsden,  in  January,  1808,  he  had  just  return- 
ed from  Hull,  and  had  travelled  nearly  the  whole  journey,  on  the  outside 
of  a  coach,  in  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  being  unable  to  procure  an  inside 
place.  He  seemed  scarcely  conscious  of  the  inclemency  of  the  season,  and 
declared  he  felt  no  inconvenience  from  his  journey .  "  He  had  accomplished 
his  object,  and  that  was  enough."  And  what  was  that  object,  which  could 
raise  him  above  the  exhaustions  of  fatigue,  and  the  sense  of  severe  cold  ? 
He  had  tngttged  a  ropemaker,  who  was  iriUincr,  at  Mr.  Marsden's  expensf, 
to  go  and  teach  his  art  to  the  New  Zealanders  T 

*21 


246  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OP 

pass  of  the  notes,  a  specific  reference  to  the  plan  of  the 
gospel,  as  a  restorative  dispensation,  in  which,  by  the 
atoning  efficacy  of  a  Saviour's  blood,  sin  may  be  pardon- 
ed, and  by  the  purifying  energy  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  man 
may  be  raised  to  the  dignity  from  which  he  had  fallen, 
and  again  shine  in  the  "  image  of  God."  He  did  not 
appear,  therefore,  as  yet,  to  regard  this  as  entirely  essen- 
tial to  true  religion  ;  in  other  words,  to  consider  the  evan- 
gelical system  as  the  only  solid  basis  of  a  rational  hope  of 
eternal  felicity  and  glory. 

It  was  manifest,  however,  to  myself  and  others,  who 
were  permitted  to  converse  with  him  freely  on  these 
points,  that  there  was  a  progression  of  the  most  gratifying 
kind  :  and  the  papers  now  before  me  confirm  the  persua- 
sion then  formed.  In  the  year  1812,  he  composed  ano- 
ther essay  on  "  Happiness,"  differing  widely,  indeed,  from 
that  written  in  1792,  to  which  I  have  referred,  a  few 
pages  back.  The  comparison  furnishes  a  striking  proof 
of  the  effect  produced  by  the  lapse  of  twenty  years,  and 
their  commensurate  providential  discipline,  upon  a  man's 
trains  of  thought.  1  will  venture,  therefore,  to  quote  the 
concluding  passages  of  this  more  recent  dissertation. 

"  We  have  already  seen  that,  in  proportion  as  society 
is  ignorant,  men  are  wicked  ;  in  proportion  as  it  be- 
comes wise  (in  the  correct  sense)  they  grow  virtuous. 
They  acquire  clearer  ideas  of  right  and  wrong,  which 
are  obviously  nothing  more  than  virtue  and  vice,  under 
an  additional  set  of  names,  or  in  a  state  of  activity.  And 
were  the  rules  and  laws  of  right,  virtue,  or  wisdom  to  be 
constantly  adhered  to,  or,  in  other  words,  the  will  of  the 
Deity  to  be  fully  complied  with,  there  can  be  no  question 
that  mankind,  even  in  the  present  state,  would  enjoy  all 
the  happiness  their  nature  will  allow  of;  and  that  a  kind 
of  paradise  would  once  more  visit  the  earth. 

"And  why,  then,  is  not  the  will  of  the  Deity  fully 
complied  with?  Why,  since  the  consequence  is  so  un- 
doubted, and  so  beneficial,  are  not  the  rules  of  virtue  con- 
stantly and  universally  adhered  to  ? 

"  This  is  a  most  important  question,  as  well  in  itself  as 
in  its  results. 

"  The  will  of  the  Deity,  or  the  entire  rules  of  virtue, 
are  not  always  adhered  to,  first,  because,  as  collected 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  247 

from  reason  or  the  light  of  nature  alone,  they  are  not, 
through  the  whole  range  of  this  complicated  subject,  in  all 
instances  equally  clear  and  perspicuous;  and,  secondly, 
because  in  a  thousand  instances  in  which  there  is  no 
want  of  clearness  or  perspicuity,  there  is  a  want  of  sanc- 
tion— of  a  compulsory  and  adequate  force.  The  rules 
of  virtue  are  general,  and  must  necessarily  be  general ; 
but  the  cases  to  which  they  apply  are  particular.  The 
case  is  present  and  often  impulsive,  but  the  operation  of 
the  rule  is  remote,  and  it  may  not  operate  at  all ;  and 
hence  the  pleasure  of  immediate  gratification  is  perpetu- 
ally unhinging  this  harmonious  system,  and  plunging 
mankind  into  vice  with  their  eyes  open. 

"  But  civil  laws,  moreover,  or  the  authority  of  the 
social  compact,  in  favor  of  virtue,  are  not  only  often  inad- 
equate in  their  force,  but  they  must  necessarily,  in  a 
thousand  instances,  be  inadequate  in  their  extent.  It  is 
impossible  for  man  of  himself  to  provide  against  every 
case  of  vice  or  criminality  that  may  offend  the  public  ;  for 
the  keenest  casuist  can  form  no  idea  of  many  of  such 
cases  till  they  are  before  him ;  and  if  he  could,  the  whole 
world  would  not  contain  the  statute-books  that  should  be 
written  upon  the  subject. 

"  There  are  also  duties  which  a  man  owes  to  himself, 
as  well  as  to  his  neighbor:  or,  in  other  words,  human 
happiness,  as  we  have  already  seen,  depends  almost  as 
largely  upon  his  exercise  of  private  as  of  public  virtues. 
But  the  eye  of  civil  law  cannot  follow  him  into  the  per- 
formance of  these  duties,  for  it  cannot  follow  him  into  his 
privacy  :  it  cannot  take  cognizance  of  his  personal  faults 
or  offences,  nor  often  apply  its  sanction  if  it  could  do  so. 
And  hence,  in  most  countries,  this  important  part  of  mo- 
rality is  purposely  left  out  of  the  civil  code,  as  a  hopeless 
and  intractable  subject.  Yet  even  in  the  breach  of  public 
duties,  specifically  stated  and  provided  for,  it  cannot 
always  follow  up  the  offender,  and  apply  the  punishment ; 
for  he  may  secrete  himself  among  his  own  colleagues,  and 
elude,  or  he  may  abandon  his  country,  and  defy  the  arm 
of  justice. 

"  There  seems,  then,  to  be  a  something  still  wanting. 
If  the  Deity  have  so  benevolently  willed  the  happiness  of 
man,  and  made  virtue  the  rule  of  that  happiness,  ought 


248  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OP 

he  not,  upon  the  same  principle  of  benevolence,  to  have 
declared  his  will  more  openly  than  by  the  mere,  and,  at 
times,  doubtful,  inferences  of  reason  ?  in  characters,  in- 
deed, so  plain,  that  he  who  runs  may  read  ?  and  ought 
he  not  also  to  have  employed  sanctions  so  universal  as  to 
cover  every  case,  and  so  weighty  as  to  command  every 
attention  1 

"  As  a  being  of  infinite  benevolence,  undoubtedly  he 
ought.  And  what,  in  this  character,  he  ought  to  have 
done,  Tie  has  actually  accomplished.  He  has  declared 
his  will  by  an  express  revelation,  and  has  thus  confirmed 
the  voice  of  reason  by  a  voice  from  heaven  :  he  has  made 
this  revelation  a  written  law,  and  has  enforced  it  by  the 
strongest  sanctions  to  which  the  mind  of  man  can  be 
open — not  only  by  his  best  chance  of  happiness  here,  but 
by  all  his  hopes  and  expectations  of  happiness  hereafter. 
And  he  has  hence  completed  the  code  of  human  obliga- 
tions, by  adding  to  the  duties  which  we  owe  to  our  neighbor 
and  to  ourselves,  a  clear  rescript  of  those  we  owe  to  our 
Maker.  Nor  is  such  revelation  of  recent  date ;  for  a 
state  of  retributive  justice  beyond  the  grave  constituted, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  the  belief  of  mankind  in  the 
earliest  ages  of  time  ;  and  amidst  all  the  revolutions  the 
world  has  witnessed,  amidst  the  most  savage  barbarism 
and  the  foulest  idolatries,  there  never  perhaps  has  been  a 
country  in  which  all  traces  of  it  have  been  entirely  lost, 
or  have  even  entirely  ceased  to  operate. 

"  At  different  periods,  and  in  different  manners,  the 
Deity  has  renewed  this  divine  communication  according 
as  his  infinite  wisdom  has  seen  the  world  stand  in  need 
of  it.  New  doctrines  and  discoveries,  and  doctrines  and 
discoveries,  too,  of  the  highest  importance,  but  which  it 
is  not  my  province  to  touch  upon  in  the  present  place, 
have  in  every  instance  accompanied  such  renewal,  justi- 
ficatory of  the  supernatural  interposition.  But  the  sanc- 
tion has,  in  every  instance,  been  the  same  ;  while,  and  I 
speak  it  with  reverence,  the  proofs  of  divine  benevolence 
have  with  every  promulgation  been  growing  fuller  and 
fuller — revealed  religion  thus  co-operating  with  natural, 
co-operating  with  the  great  frame  of  the  visible  world, 
co-operating  with  every  pulse  and  feeling  of  our  own 
hearts,  in  establishing  the  delightful  truth,  that  GOD  is 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  249 

LOVE  ;  and  in  calling  upon  us  to  love  him,  not  from  any 
cold  and  lifeless  picture  of  the  abstract  beauty  of  holi- 
ness, beautiful  as  it  unquestionably  is  in  itself,  but  from 
the  touching  and  all-subduing  motive,  BECAUSE  HE  FIRST 
LOVED  us." 

The  growing  thoughtfulness  of  his  habits  led  him  now 
to  more  frequent  self-examination,  and  excited  more 
earnest  desires  that  his  whole  existence  might  not  pass 
away  before  he  had  accomplished  the  great  object  of  this 
probationary  stale.  On  attaining  his  fiftieth  year,  he  thus 
(in  lines  introduced  not  on  account  of  their  beauty  but 
of  their  sincerity)  expressed  his  pensive  meditations  on 
the  past,  and  solicited  divine  guidance  for  the  future. 

VERSES 

COMPOSED    ON    ENTERING    MY    FIFTIETH    YEAR. 

May  25th,  1813. 

Two-thirds  of  life,  or  something  more 
If  nicely  scann'd,  now  travell'd  o'er, 
Let  me  review  the  travell'd  scene, 
And  fairly  weigh  what  life  has  been. 

If  right  1  reckon,  it  is  this  ; 
A  chequered  web  of  ill  and  bliss  ; 
Some  love  of  good,  far  more  of  ill ; 
The  deed  prevailing  o'er  the  will ; 
Correct  resolves,  and  aim  at  right, 
Alternate  felt  and  put  to  flight ; 
Gay  promise  smiling  but  to  wound ; 
Truth  eager  sought,  and  error  found; 
The  tree  of  Hope  now  yielding  fruit, 
And  shivered  now  through  every  shoot. 

Such  is  the  sum  :  but  let  rne  not 
Unjustly  charge  my  varied  lot. 
Though  hard  at  times,  how  hard  indeed 
Had  my  demerits  met  their  meed ; 
Though  hard,  how  rare  has  been  the  groan 
That  sprang  not  from  myself  alone. 
While  (and  with  gratitude  I  trace, 
And  own  so  undeserv'd  a  grace,) 
From  every  ill  the  hand  of  Heaven 
To  draw  some  use  has  daily  striven  ; 
To  check  my  heart's  too  ardent  stream, 
Tha*  urg'd  a  trust  in  every  dream, 
And  led  me  to  that,  empty  shade, 
Myself,  alone  to  look  for  aid  : 
To  teach  me  earth  was  ne'er  design'd 
A  resting-place  to  suit  the  mind  ; 


250  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

How  vain  its  joys,  how  full  of  pride 

Its  learning,  when  not  sanctified  ;  , 

To  plume  me  for  a  higher  scope, 

And  make  me  humble,  while  I  hope. 

Father  Supreme  !  continue  still, 
As  most  accordant  to  thy  will, 
These  wholesome  conflicts, — till  the  end 
Be  reach 'd,  at  which  they  daily  tend. 
Then,  whether  long  or  short  my  life, 
Slight  or  severe  th'  allotted  strife, 
Imports  not ; — This  is  all  in  all 
To  live  prepar'd  for  every  call ; 
To  feel  thy  guidance  here, — and  trust 
To  feel  it  still  beyond  the  dust. 

From  this  time  Mr.  Good  earnestly  cultivated  the  ac- 
quaintance of  pious  men.  What  was  still  better,  he  be- 
came more  closely  acquainted  with  his  own  heart ;  and 
sought  for  enjoyment  in  devout  meditation.  Always  an 
admirer  of  the  works  of  nature,  he  now  contemplated 
them  with  a  new  relish  ;  and  whether  he  suffered  his 
thoughts  to  expatiate  over  the  grander  scenes  which  the 
universe  presents,  or  tied  them  down  to  some  of  the  mi- 
nuter objects  of  the  creation,  he  still,  as  his  books  of 
poetic  memoranda  amply  show,  saw,  in  the  order,  the 
splendor,  or  the  beauty  which  he  admired,  the  impress  of 
Deity. 

Let  this  be  tak«n  as  a  specimen  : — 

THE    DAISY. 

Not  worlds  on  worlds  in  phalanx  deep, 

Need  we  to  prove  a  God  is  here ; 
The  Daisy,  fresh  from  Winter's  sleep, 

Tells  of  his  hand  in  lines  as  clear. 

For  who  but  he  who  arch'd  the  skies, 
And  pours  the  Day-spring's  living  flood, 

Wondrous  alike  in  all  he  tries, 

Could  rear  the  Daisy's  purple  bud  ? 

Mould  its  green  cup,  its  wiry  stem  ; 

Its  fringed  border  nicely  spin  ; 
And  cut  the  gold-embossed  gem 

That,  set  in  silver,  gleams  within  ? — 

And  fling  it,  unrestrain'd  and  free, 

O'er  hill  and  dale  and  desert  sod, 
That  man,  where'er  he  walks,  may  see, 

In  every  step,  the  stamp  of  God. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  251 

I  may  here  introduce  another  little  piece,  written  about 
the  same  time,  which,  though  less  elegant  than  the  above, 
excites  interest  on  account  of  the  tone  of  deep  sincerity 
which  pervades  it. 

THE    RESTING-PLACE. 

"  There  remaineth  a  rest  for  the  people  of  God!" 

Round  the  world  I  look,  and  find 
Nothing  that  can  fill  the  mind  : 
Learned  toils,  and  arts  that  show 
All  is  vain  the  wisest  know. 

Round  I  look,  and  solid  bliss 
Seek  for  next,  but  ever  miss. 
Pleasure  springs,  but,  soon  as  found, 
Dies,  or  only  lives  to  wound. 

From  the  world  I  turn,  and  try 
Deep  within  what  treasures  lie. 
Fruitless  search  !  look  where  I  will 
'Tis  a  wilderness  of  ill. 

Tir'd  at  length,  of  all  around, 
Tir'd  of  all  within  me  found, 
Up  to  Heav'n  I  look — and  there 
See  the  only  good  and  fair  ; 

All  the  panting  soul  desires, 
Bliss  that  fills,  but  never  tires  ; 
Knowledge  such  as  suits  the  blest, 
Sacred,  high  eternal  rest. 

Rock  of  Ages  ! — here  I  build, 
Here,  if  so  thy  grace  has  will'd  ; 
Quit  the  world,  and  seek  in  theo 
All  I  want  or  wish  to  be. 

It  was  in  one  of  our  confidential  conversations  on  the 
most  momentous  of  all  topics,  in  the  summer  of  1815, 
that  Mr.  Good  first  distinctly  announced  to  me  his  cor- 
dial persuasion  that  the  evangelical  representation  of  the 
doctrines  of  Scripture  was  that  which  alone  accorded 
with  the  system  of  revealed  truth.  He  said  he  had 
greatly  hesitated,  as  to  the  correctness  of  a  proposition 
I  had  advanced  a  few  years  before,*  that  there  was  no 
intermediate  ground  upon  which  a  sound  reasoner  could 

*  In  my  "  Letters  ou  the  Evidences,  Doctrines,  and  Duties,  of  the  Cliri»- 
tian  Religion." 


252  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OP 

make  a  fair  stand,  between  that  of  pure  deism  and  that 
of  moderate  orthodoxy,  as  held  by  the  evangelical  classes 
both  of  churchmen  and  dissenters  ;  but  that  he  now  re- 
garded that  proposition  as  correct.  At  the  same  time, 
he  detailed  several  of  the  Socinian  and  Arian  interpreta- 
tions of  passages  usually  brought  forward  in  these  dis- 
putes, and,  with  his  accustomed  frankness,  explained 
how  he  had  come,  by  degrees,  to  consider  them  all  as 
unsatisfactory,  and,  for  an  accountable  being,  unsafe. 

Of  the  gradual  modification  of  his  sentiments,  as  well 
as  of  the  decision  which  by  God's  blessing  he  now  at- 
tained, the  notes  in  his  Bible  present  ample  evidence. 
But  I  shall  only  select  two  or  three  of  the  latter  kind, 
written  between  1817  and  1822. 

"  HEBREWS  x.  19,20.  The  spirit  of  man  is  concealed 
by  the  veil  of  the  flesh  :  the  spiritual  things  of  the  law, 
the  holy  of  holies,  were  concealed  by  the  veil  of  the 
temple.  Christ  is  the  end  and  sum  of  the  whole  ; — and 
as  the  high  priest  entered  into  the  holy  of  holies  by 
the  veil  of  the  temple  under  the  law,  so  we  can  only  enter 
into  the  holiest  by  '  the  blood  of  Jesus,'  by  the  veil  of  his 
flesh,  or  incarnation,  of  which  the  veil  of  the  temple  was 
a  striking  type.  And  never  did  type  and  antitype  more 
completely  harmonize  with  each  other,  and  prove  their 
relation  :  for  when  Christ  exclaimed  upon  the  cross,  '  It 
is  finished,'  and  gave  up  the  ghost — when  the  veil  of  his 
flesh  was  rent,  the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  at  the  same 
moment.  The  former  entrance  into  the  holy  of  holies, 
which  was  only  temporary  and  typical,  then  vanished — 
and  the  '  new  and  living  way,'  the  way  everlasting,  was 
then  opened:  and  what  under  the  old  dispensation  was 
only  open  to  the  high  priest,  and  that  but  once  a  year, 
was,  from  that  moment,  open  to  us  all,  and  open  for  all 
times  and  all  occasions — a  consecrated  way,  in  which  we 
are  exhorted  to  enter  with  all  boldness,  in  full  assurance 
of  faith  ;  having  '  our  hearts  first  sprinkled  from  an  evil 
conscience,  and  our  bodies  washed  with  pure  water." 

"  GENESIS  ii.  23,24.  Under  the  figurative  language 
contained  in  these  two  verses  is  a  concealed  representa- 
tion of  tha  whole  mystery  of  the  gospel — the  union  of 
Christ  with  the  church,  the  glorious  bride,  that  in  the 
fulness  of  the  times  he  will  present  to  himself,  free  from 


I)R.  MASON  GOOD.  253 

spot  or  wrinkle,  holy  and  without  blemish.  St.  Paul  ex- 
pressly tells  us,  Eph.  v.  30,  31.  that  this  momentous  fact 
is  here  referred  to,  and  spoken  of  in  veiled  or  esoteric 
language.  It  is  the  first  reference  in  the  Old  Testament 
— the  earliest  history  of  man,  therefore,  opens  with  it ;  it 
was  the  mystery  of  Paradise  ;  '  the  hidden  wisdom  which 
God  ordained  before  the  world,  unto  his  own  glory.'  " 

"  GENESIS  iii.  7.  And  the  eyes  of  them  both  were 
opened,  and  they  knew  that  they  were  naked,  and  they 
sewed  fig  leaves,"  &,c. 

"  It  is  so  in  every  age  and  every  part  of  the  world. 
The  moment  a  man  becomes  consciously  guilty,  his  eyes 
are  opened  to  the  knowledge  of  evil ; — he  feels  himself 
naked,  and  seeks  a  cover  or  a  hiding  place  :  he  is  full  of 
shame,  and  cannot  endure  to  be  looked  at  even  by  his 
fellows ; — he  endeavors  by  some  flimsy  pretext,  some 
apron  of  fig  leaves,  to  screen  either  himself  or  the  deed 
he  has  committed  from  their  eyes.  But  most  of  all  does 
he  feel  his  nakedness  before  God,  and  endeavor  to  hide 
from  his  presence.  Happy,  indeed,  is  he,  who,  with  this 
consciousness  of  guilt  and  shame,  is  able  by  any  means 
to  discern  a  covering  that  may  conceal  the  naked  de- 
formity of  his  person  from  the  penetrating  eye  of  his 
Maker.  One  such  covering  there  is,  and  but  one,  and 
blessed  is  he  who  is  permitted  to  lay  hold  of  it,  and  to 
put  it  on — it  is  the  robe  of  the  Redeemer's  righteous- 
ness." 

At  this  period  of  his  life,  Mr.  Good,  as  he  informed 
me,  read  with  the  most  intense  interest,  Jeremy  Taylor's 
Holy  Living  :  and  one  of  his  commonplace  books  evinces 
the  state  of  his  own  feelings  during  the  perusal.  Under 
the  head  of  Apophthegms  from  Bishop  Taylor,  are  several 
of  great  value,  of  which  I  shall  quote  but  two  or  three. 

"  No  man  is  a  better  merchant  than  he  that  lays  out 
his  time  upon  God,  and  his  money  upon  the  poor." 

"  Let  every  man  that  hath  a  calling  be  diligent  in  the 
pursuance  of  its  employment : — yet  ever  remembering  so 
to  work  in  his  calling  as  not  to  neglect  the  work  of  his 
higher  calling,  but  to  begin  and  end  the  day  with  God." 

"Holiness  of  intention  or  purpose.  This  grace  is  so 
excellent  that  it  sanctifies  the  most  common  action  of  our 
lives  ;  and  yet  so  necessary,  that  without  it  the  very  best 
22 


254  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

actions  of  our  devotion  are  imperfect  and  vicious.  That 
we  should  intend  and  design  God's  glory  in  every  act  we 
do,  whether  it  be  natural  or  chosen,  is  expressed  by  St. 
Paul,  '  whether  we  eat  or  drink,  do  all  to  the  glory  of 
God  :'  which  rule,  when  we  observe,  every  action  of  na- 
ture becomes  religious,  and  every  meal  is  an  act  of  wor- 
ship. Holy  intention  is  to  the  actions  of  a  man,  that 
which  the  soul  is  to  the  body,  or  form  to  matter,  or  the 
root  to  the  tree,  or  the  sun  to  the  world,  or  the  fountain 
to  a  river,  or  the  base  to  a  pillar.  For  without  these 
the  body  is  a  dead  trunk,  the  matter  is  sluggish,  the  tree 
is  a  block,  the  world  is  darkness,  the  river  is  quickly  dry, 
the  pillar  sinks  into  flatness  and  ruin,  and  the  action  is 
sinful,  or  unprofitable  and  vain." 

Mr.  Good's  thoughts  and  meditations  being  thus  set 
into  the  right  current,  it  pleased  God,  by  the  afflictive 
dispensations  of  his  providence,  to  confirm  and  preserve 
them  in  that  direction.  For  a  considerable  period  Mrs. 
Good's  health  was  very  indifferent ;  and  at  a  season  when 
she  had  been  longer  than  usual  well,  both  their  daugh- 
ters were  afflicted  almost  simultaneously,  with  protracted 
and  dangerous  indispositions.  The  family  were  then  on 
a  visit  to  Mr.  Good's  son-in-law,  at  South  End,  a  few  miles 
from  London ;  and  Mr.  G.  was,  for  six  or  seven  weeks 
in  succession,  engaged  during  the  days  in  his  professional 
pursuits,  and  during  the  nights  most  sedulously  and  so- 
licitously watching  the  sick  beds  of  his  afflicted  children. 
At  this  season  of  parental  anxiety  he  scarcely  got  any 
sleep,  except  as  he  travelled  from  South  End  to  the  house 
in  town  :  yet,  though  often  worn  down  with  fatigue  and 
watching,  and  depressed  with  the  most  painful  apprehen- 
sions, his  spirits  and  his  hopes  never  entirely  forsook  him. 
He  seems,  indeed,  to  have  "  HEARD  the  rod,  and  him  who 
appointed  it ;"  to  have  understood  its  voice,  and  rightly 
improved  it ;  deriving  from  this  affliction  a  deeper  sense 
of  the  uncertainty  of  life  and  its  enjoyments,  of  the  sove- 
reignty of  God,  as  well  as  of  his  merciful  forbearance,  of 
the  efficacy  of  faith,  and  the  delight  of  resignation  upon 
Christian  principles,  than  on  occasion  of  any  former  trial. 

In  the  short  interval  between  the  recovery  of  one 
daughter,  and  the  commencement  of  the  severe  indispo- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  255 

sition  of  the  other,  he  thus  expressed  himself  in  a  letter 
to  his  valued  relative,  Dr.  Walton. 

"  I  receive  her  again  from  the  hand  of  her  Creator  as 
one  raised  from  the  dead,  and  given  10  me  a  second  time. 
...  I  hope  I  shall  never  forget  this  great  and  signal  inter- 
position of  the  Divine  favor,  in  the  solemn  votes  I  have 
voluntarily  undertaken.  How  difficult  is  it  to  bring  one's 
mind,  in  the  prospect  of  so  severe  a  loss,  to  repeat  with 
seriousness  and  an  unfeigned  heart  what  we  are  every 
day  saying,  with  too  little  attention  and  solemnity,  '  Thy 
will  be  done  !'*  I  tried  as  earnestly  as  I  was  able,  and  I 
even  now  dare  not  trust  myself  to  inquire  whether  I 
attained  all  the  spirit  of  resignation  which  ought  to  have 
been  manifested.  He  who  knoweth  how  to  pity  our  in- 
firmities, has  had  mercy  at  least  upon  the  effort,  and  has 
graciously  accepted  the  imperfect  attempt ;  and  has  not 
overwhelmed  me  with  a  similar  bereavement  to  the  heavy 
affliction  I  suffered  many  years  ago,  and  upon  which  I 
never,  to  this  hour,  dare  suffer  myself  to  think.  Yet  I 
know  that  even  that  was  attended  with  benefit  to  myself, 
heavy  as  it  descended  upon  me." 

After  his  death,  there  was  found  on  the  opening  page 
of  his  interleaved  Pocket  Bible,  a  most  gratifying  token, 
not  merely  of  his  affection  for  his  daughters,  (of  which, 
indeed,  they  needed  not  this  proof,)  but  of  a  devout  and 
grateful  permanent  recognition  of  the  mercy  of  God 
vouchsafed  in  their  recovery. 

"  My  dear  Margaret's  dangerous  sickness,  from  a  bil- 
ious fever,  commenced  July  4th,  1818,  and  only  began 
to  decline  about  July  24th. 

"  My  dear  Susanna's  still  more  dangerous  sickness, 
from  an  inflammation  of  the  brain,  commenced  about  the 
ensuing  August  10th  :  she  was  given  over  about  August 
16th;  and  began  to  recover  about  August  27th.  For 
this  double  recovery  I  feel  myself  called  upon  to  keep  an 
annual  day  of  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God,  as  long  as 
it  may  please  him  to  spare  me. 

"  August  8th,  1819.  J.  M.  G." 

*  Nothing',  I  am  informed,  could  be  more  touching!)'  impressive,  them  the 
solemn  pause,  resulting  from  the  struggle  between  paternal  affection  and 
humhle  submission  to  the  Divine  will,  which  in  domestic  worship  during' 
ibese  afflictions,  always  succeeded  his  utterance  of  this  petition. 


256  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

I  ought  previously  to  have  mentioned,  that  nearly 
three  years  before  the  occurrence  of  the  severe  indispo- 
sitions whose  favorable  termination  is  thus  gratefully  re- 
corded, Dr.  Good's  eldest  daughter  had  married  a  gentle- 
man, then  distinguished  by  his  singular  attainments,  and 
subsequently  by  his  ardent  piety,  the  Rev.  Cornelius 
Neale.  The  union  took  place  with  the  brightest  antici- 
pations of  extensive  and  permanent  happiness,  anticipa- 
tions fully  realized,  except  with  regard  to  permanency. 
Mr.  Neale,  who  had  with  extraordinary  industry  as  well 
as  talent,  and  commensurate  success,  gone  through  his 
academical  course  at  Cambridge,  (leaving  that  Univer- 
sity in  1812,  with  the  honor  of  Senior  Wrangler,  Chan- 
cellor's Medallist,  and  the  gainer  of  Dr.  Smith's  first 
mathematical  prize,)  possessed  but  a  delicate  constitu- 
tion of  body,  which  became  gradually  more  enfeebled  by 
intellectual  exertion,  and  the  sedentary  habits  too  com- 
mon amongst  studious  men.  Afterwards,  on  his  taking 
orders,  and  devoting  himself  most  sedulously  to  the 
duties  of  the  clerical  office,  his  frequent  visits  to  the  poor 
in  damp  and  comfortless  houses  in  a  country  village,  soon 
brought  upon  him  a  pulmonary  complaint,  which  closed 
his  valuable  life  in  August,  1823. 

Upon  a  mind  less  alive  than  Dr.  Good's  to  the  kindlier 
sympathies  and  emotions,  the  circumstances  of  the  long 
affliction  of  an  endeared  relative  could  not  but  operate 
powerfully.  Besides  these,  there  were  brought  into  exer- 
cise the  new  feelings  occasioned  by  the  birth  of  grand- 
children ;  new  alternations  of  hope  and  fear,  of  delight 
and  anguish,  resulting  from  the  vicissitudes  of  their  health, 
and  rendered  doubly  interesting  by  the  peculiar  state  of 
their  parents  : — and  thus  was  supplied,  as  I  cannot  but 
believe,  precisely  the  discipline  which  was  necessary  to 
effect  Dr.  Good's  entire  confirmation  in  Christian  princi- 
ples, and  induce  him  cordially  to  yield  all  his  faculties  "  a 
I/ring  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  to  God."  The  subse- 
quent afflictive  events,  in  which  he  was  called  to  share, 
served  but  to  free  him  more  from  secular  adhesions,  to 
quicken  his  activity  in  the  heavenly  course,  and  to  prompt 
him  to  the  augmented  exercise  of  Christian  benevolence, 
in  various  channels  of  usefulness. 

Well  do  I  recollect  his  unusual  delight  in  announcing 


BE.  MASON  GOOD.  257 

to  me  the  decision  of  his  beloved  son-in-law  to  devote 
himself  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  and  the  strong  in- 
terest with  which  he  related  many  particulars  of  intellec- 
tual and  providential  discipline,  some  of  them  very  strik- 
ing, which  issued  in  that  decision.  To  Dr.  Drake,  and 
other  friends,  his  letters  were  dictated  by  equally  plea- 
surable emotions.  But  the  gratification  was  not  of  long 
continuance.  Mr.  Neale  took  orders  in  April,  or  May, 
18-22.  In  May,  1823,  Dr.  Good,  in  writing  to  Dr.  Drake, 
thus  expresses  himself — 

"  We  have  now  removed  from  Caroline  Place,  to  No. 
SO,  Guilford  Street.  But  our  entrance  into  this  new 
residence  is  marked  with  a  gloom  that  I  am  much  afraid 
will  hang  heavy  on  the  few  years  that  Providence  may 
yet  allot  to  me.  Our  dear  and  incomparable  Mr.  Neale, 
who  you  know  married  our  beloved  Susanna,  is  at  this 
moment  an  inmate  in  it,  laboring  under  a  hectic  fever, 
which,  I  am  very  fearful,  will  cut  him  off  in  the  midst  of 
life,  of  an  exemplary  service  to  God  in  the  church,  of  the 
utmost  utility  to  the  poor  and  the  parishes  in  which  he 
has  been  employed, — himself  and  his  wife,  beloved,  per- 
haps, more  than  ever  couple  were  before.  He  will  leave 
me  to-morrow,  for  a  house  in  the  vicinity  of  London  ;  but 
I  cannot  let  him  go  far.  We  are  thus  overwhelmed  with 
grief;  but  we  endeavovor  to  yield  to  the  rod  and  Him  who 
hath  appointed  it.  Mr.  Neale  himself  is  in  a  frame  of 
mind  that  any  man  might  envy,  ill  as  he  is, — and  my  dear 
Susanna  has  strength  found  her  to  be  able  to  nurse  him 
night  and  day.  Adieu,  my  dear  friend  ! — of  your  condo- 
lence we  are  all  sure." 

In  another  letter  to  the  same  friend,  written  within 
four  months  of  that  from  which  the  preceding  is  extract- 
ed, Dr.  Good  thus  pours  out  his  feelings  on  the  event 
which  terminated  all  his  solicitudes,  and  those  of  his  fami- 
ly, on  account  of  Mr.  Neale. 

"  Guilford  Street,  August  18th,  1823. 
"  My  dear  Friend, 

"  When  I  received  your  last  kind  letter,  I  was  daily 
expecting  the  close  of  my  dear  and  most  excellent  son-in- 
law's  sufferings, — and  had  already  tried,  but  with  little 
success,  the  plan  you  suggested,  which,  in  truth,  we  were 
*22 


258  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

obliged  to  discontinue,  in  consequence  of  its  increasing 
the  exacerbation. 

"  The  conflict  is  now  over — he  has  entered  into  his 
rest;  having  expired,  as  you  may  probably  have  seen  by 
the  newspapers,  on  Friday  the  8th  instant. 

"  The  last  text  he  preached  from,  when  he  had  no  idea 
of  any  serious  illness,  was,  "  To  me  to  live  is  Christ,  but 
to  die  is  gain."  It  was  within  a  few  hours  afterwards  that 
he  was  attacked  with  an  haemoptysis.  His  whole  heart  was 
in  his  ministry  ; — and  the  simple,  unvarnished,  but  most 
impressive  character,  of  his  pulpit  oratory,  was  calculated, 
with  God's  blessing,  to  work  wonders  among  the  highest 
as  well  as  the  lowest  classes. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  the  alarming  sickness 
with  which  he  was  attacked,  might  naturally,  perhaps, 
be  called  '  a  mysterious  dispensation.'  But  he  would 
never  allow  such  a  term  to  be  employed, — for  it  never 
was  made  use  of,  he  said,  without  betraying  f .omething  of 
a  latent  murmur. 

"  He  suffered  much  at  times,  and  the  pain  alone  was 
sufficient,  and  especially  towards  the  close  of  the  struggle, 
to  throw  him  into  severe  perspiration — but  his  remark 
was,  '  My  Saviour  sweated  drops  of  blood  for  me,'  and 
this  upheld  him. — It  was  a  severe  conflict  to  break  off 
his  strong  attachment  to  his  beloved  children — and  his 
still  more  beloved  wife  ;  and  yet  at  last  he  was  enabled 
to  make  a  total  surrender  of  himself  to  the  will  of  God, 
and  for  months  had  '  his  conversation  in  heaven,'  far 
more  than  on  earth.  Yet,  all  the  kindliness  of  his  heart, 
and  all  the  fine  taste  of  his  genius,  accompanied  him  to 
the  latest  moment :  less  than  eight-and-forty  hours  before 
his  dissolution,  he  told  his  dear  wife,  with  a  faltering  voice, 
that,  as  he  had  not  written  her  any  lines  for  a  long  time, 
if  she  would  bring  him  a  pencil  and  a  piece  of  paper,  he 
would  give  her  some  ;  when  he  wrote  off  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  devotional  odes  I  have  ever  seen.  During  the 
night  before  his  departure,  it  was  observed  by  Mrs.  Good, 
who  sat  up  by  him,  that  she  was  fearful  the  night  had 
been  tedious  to  him  ; — he  replied, '  I  shall  have  a  long  and 
a  glorious  day.'  He  spoke  prophetically — and  the  pro- 
phecy was  fulfilled. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  259 

"  What,  my  clear  friend,  are  all  the  splendor  and  the 
pageantry  of  the  world,  compared  with  the  sublime  and 
solemn  scenes  to  which  I  have  thus  been  an  eye-witness? 
— Surely  these  are  foretastes  of  that  '  fulness  of  joy,'  and 
those  '  pleasures  for  evermore,'  which  are  reserved  at  the 
right  hand  of  God,  for  those  who  are  favored  with  so 
beatific  a  vision.  They  give,  if  it  were  wanted,  a  fresh 
and  energetic  stamp  of  reality  to  the  glorious  manifesta- 
tion of  the  gospel, — and  shew  us  for  what  we  were  born — 
and  the  more  important  lesson  how  this  high  destiny  may 
be  attained.  My  earnest  prayer  is,  that  the  lesson  may 
be  lost  upon  no  one  within  its  sphere — and  with  the  feeble 
powers  of  my  own  pen,  I  would  enlarge  that  sphere,  if 
possible,  throughout  the  universe  : — and  I  would  address 
it  to  you,  my  dear  friend,  as  importunately  as  to  myself. 

"We  are  all  in  great  grief,  as  you  may  suppose,  and 
especially  my  beloved  daughter — but  we  are  upheld  by  a 
thousand  consolations,  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  but  few. 

"  Farewell,  my  dear  friend,  for  the  present ;  and  be- 
lieve me  ever, 

"  Affectionately  yours, 

"J.  M.  GOOD." 

I  may  now,  in  farther  illustration  of  Dr.  Good's  reli- 
gious sentiments  and  feelings,  select  a  few  pieces  from 
his  devotional  poetry  :  leaving  them  to  make  their  im- 
pression, not  on  account  of  the  elevation  of  the  language, 
or  the  sublimity  of  thought;  but  as  proofs  of  the  genuine 
emotion  of  a  soul  attuned  in  unison  to  the  most  touching 
and  awful  subjects,  as  well  as  of  a  complete  subjugation 
of  mind  and  heart  to  truths  long  resisted,  but  at  length 
received  in  all  their  energy,  and  exemplified  in  all  their 
purity. 

ON    EASTEH    DAY,  1819. 

"  Truly  this  was  the  son  of  God."    Matt,  xxvii.  54. 

"  Yes,  this  was  the  Son  of  God. — 
'Tis  for  man  he  bears  the  rod : 
Eaith  and  skies  are  veil'd  in  grief; 
Man  alone  shews  unbelief. 


260  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OF 

"  'Tis  finish'd." — Through  creation's  bound 
Fly,  O  fly,  triumphant  sound ! 
"  'Tis  finish'd  !"  Heaven  transported  sings ; 
"  'Tis  finish'd  !"  Earth  re-echoing  rings. 

"  'Tis  finish'd !"  through  the  realms  of  woe 
The  hated  accents  sternly  flow  : 
"  Tis  finish'd  !"  Man  the  traitor  lives  ; 
The  ransom's  paid,  and  God  forgives. 

"  'Tis  finish'd  !" — Yes,  the  toil  is  o'er : 
The  wondrous  toil  the  Saviour  bore, 
From  Death's  dread  jaws  the  sting  he  draws, 
And  on  the  CROSS  achieves  his  cause. 

Sing  the  CROSS  : — O,  badge  of  shame  ! 
Be  STAFF  OF  GLORY,  now.  thy  name. 
Sing  the  Cross ;  for,  o'er  thy  tree, 
What  triumphs  crowd,  blest  Calvary  ! 

"  'Tis  finish'd  !" — The  mysterious  plan, 
The  mighty  destiny  of  man. 
Angels  had  gaz'd,  with  baffled  skill, 
And  time  but  travelled  to  fulfil. 

"  'Tis  finish'd !"  all  the  vision  high 
That  wrapt  of  old,  the  prophet's  eye  ; 
And  still  with  ecstacy  shall  break 
O'er  the  last  martyr's  flaming  stake. 

"  'Tis  finish'd  !"  see  the  Victor  rise  ; 
Shake  off  the  grave,  and  claim  the  skies, 
Ye  heav'ns  !  your  doors  wide  open  fling: 
Ye  angel-quires  !  receive  your  King. 

"  'Tis  finish'd  !"  but  what  mortal  dare 
In  that  triumph  hope  to  share  ? 
Saviour  !  to  thy  cross  I  flee  : 
Say  "  'tis  finish'd"  and  for  me! 

Then  I'll  sing  the  Cross  !  the  Cross  ! 
And  count  all  other  gain  but  loss  : 
I'll  sing  the  Cross,  and  to  thy  tree 
Cling  evermore,  blest  Calvary  ! 

PEACE,    BE    STILL. 

Composed  while  watching  at  Night,  and  alone,  over  a  very  painful 
Illness  of  my  dear  Wife  -.  Feb.  1820. 

"  Peace — be  still !" — O  Thou  !  whose  word 
The  raging  sea  thus  once  address'd  ; 
And  quelled  the  tempest  as  it  heard, 
And  all  its  fury  lulled  to  rest : 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  261 

"  Peace — be  still !"  once  more  exclaim, 
And  quell  this  raging  of  disease  ; 
These  pangs  that  rend  a  worn-out  frame, 
That  seeks  in  vain  a  moment's  ease. 

"  Peace — be  still !" — 'Tis  this  alone 
Stamps  with  success  the  healing  art : 
No  drug  can  soothe  a  single  groan, 
If  this  withhold  its  sovereign  part. 

"  Peace — be  still!" — O  heavenly  charm 

For  every  form  of  human  ill : 

Hear  it,  ye  pains!  your  rage  disarm, 

Hear  the  blest  mandate — "  Peace — be  still !" 


EPITAPH    ON    AN    UNNAMED    SAINT. 

O  !  spot  revered  ! — though  thou  may'st  hold, 

Within  thy  consecrated  mould, 

Names  more  familiar  to  the  great, 

And  wider  famed  for  wealth  or  state  ; 

Yet  never,  since  the  hallow'd  hour 

When  Russell  rais'd  thy  walls  t'  embower 

Against  the  last  trump's  dread  alarm, 

The  wardrobe  of  God's  saints*  from  harm. — 

No,  never  hast  thou,  holy  Earth  ! 

Clasp'd  in  thy  bosom  gentler  worth, 

A  form  more  dear  to  man  or  God, 

Than  now  reclines  beneath  thy  sod. 

Let  CAM'S  green  banks,  from  cell  to  cell, 
Still  on  the  echoing  plaudits  dwell, 
That  rang  when,  in  his  year,  he  bore 
All  the  joint  wreaths  of  college  lore  ; — t 
Here  in  this  gloom,  be  told  alone 
The  higher  virtues,  often  shown, 
When  the  pure  altar  and  the  hearth 
Gave  new  and  nobler  feelings  birth  ; 
And  fram'd  a  pattern  none  could  see, 
But  love,  and  laud,  and  wish  to  be. 

*  On  the  walls  of  Chiswick  Churchyard  is  engraved  the  following  in- 
scription :  "  This  wall  was  made  at  \e  Charge  of  ye  Right  Honourable  & 
trulie  Pious  lord  Francis  Russelle  of  Bedford,  out  of  pure  zeale  and  care 
for  ye  keeping  of  this  Churchyard,  &  ye  wardrobe,  of  God's  Saints  whose 
Bodies  lay  buryed  from  violating-  by  Swine  &.  other  Prophanalion.  So 
witnessed!  William  Walker.  V.  A.  D.  1623." 

t  "  Camb.  Calend.  Year  1812.  Senior  Wrangler ;  Chancellor's  Medallist. 
First  Smith's  Mathamatical  Prize-31an." 


2G2  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

Blest  Saint !  I  dare  not : — them  hast  said, 
In  life,  and  on  the  dying  bed, 
Still  meek  and  lowly,  and  but  dross 
Accounting  all  things,  save  the  CROSS, 
There  only  glorying  ; — and  the  verse 
That  should  revere  thy  simple  herse — 
The  lesson  that  should  be  reveal'd 
The  Muse  must  drop — her  lips  are  seal'd. 
Chiswick  Churchyard,  Aug.  20th,  1823. 

FOR    MY    DEAR    MASON.* 

Jesus  with  an  e3Te  of  love 
Marks  little  children  from  above  : 
And,  when  on  earth  for  man  he  bled, 
Took  them  in  his  arms  and  said, 
"  Little  children!  come  to  me, 
And  a  Saviour's  welcome  see. 
If  you  love  me,  you  shall  share, 
While  on  earth,  my  tenderest  care, 
And,  in  death,  shall  mount  above, 
Where  your  angels  live  in  love, 
And  their  father's  presence  view ; 
And  heaven  is  form'd  of  such  as  you." 

A  Fool-piece  to  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds'  Print  of 

LITTLE    SAMUEL. 

Jesus  to  little  children  says, 

"  Those  that  love  me  with  heart  and  mind, 
I  too  will  love, — and  all  their  days, 

Whene'er  they  seek  me  they  shall  find." 

This,  little  Samuel,  when  a  boy, 

Learn'd  at  his  pious  mother's  side  ; 
And  every  day  'twas  his  employ 

To  pray  that  God  would  be  his  guide. 

He  bent  his  knees,  and  rais'd  his  eyes, 

And  clasp'd  his  little  hands  so  tight, 
And  God,  that  makes  the  Sun  to  rise, 

Poured  o'er  his  mind  diviner  light. 

*  This,  and  the  little  touching  piece  that  follows  it,  were  addressed  by 
Dr.  Good  to  his  grandson,  MHSOII  Neale,  when  lie  was  about  five  years  of 
age.  The  reader,  while  perusing  them,  will  probably  be  reminded  of  John- 
son's remark  (in  his  Life  of  \\  alts)  on  the  difficulty  of  "  a  voluntary  de- 
scent from  the  dignity  of  science"  to  teach  children. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  263 

THE    NAME    OF    JESUS. 

"  Thou  shall  call  his  name  JESUS  ;  for  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their 

sins." 

"  Jesus  !  Saviour  !" — yet  again, 

Messenger  of  heavenly  love, 
O,  repeat  th'  angelic  strain ; 

Strike  that  name,  all  names  above. 

"  Jesus  !  Saviour  !" — at  the  sound 

Can  there  be  a  heart  asleep ; 
Through  creation's  utmost  bound 

Let  the  thrilling  music  sweep. 

Lo  !  he  comes  his  name  to  attest, 

Mighty  Saviour  of  mankind. 
Wide  as  guilt  has  spread  his  pest, 

Healing,  here,  the  guilty  find. 

Prince  of  Peace — Desire  of  all ! 

All  the  nations  wait  for  thee  : 
Mount  thy  chariot — rule  the  ball — 

Captive  lead  captivity. 

Save  us  by  thy  promised  birth  : 

By  thy  present  spirit  save  : 
By  thy  toils,  thy  pangs  on  earth  ! 

By  thy  conquest  o'er  the  grave. 

When  in  health  temptations  throng, 

When,  in  sickness,  gloomy  fear  ; 
In  life,  in  death,  be  thou  my  song  ; 

Jesus  !  mighty  Saviour  !  hear.* 

IN'  THE  BEGINNING  WAS  THE  WORD  ;  AND  THE  WORD  WAS  WITH 
GOD,  AND  THE  WORD  WAS  GOD. 

O  WORD  !  O  WISDOM  !  heaven's  high  theme  ! 

Where  must  the  theme  begin  ? — 
Maker  and  Sufferer  ! — Lord  Supreme  ! 

Yet  sacrifice  for  sin  ! 

*  The  above  were  suggested  by  a  sennon,  which  Dr.  Good  heard, 
preached  by  the  Rev.  Tlios.  Hartwell  Home,  on  December  25th,  1823. 
He  transmitted  a  copy  to  3Ir.  Home  the  following-  day,  accompanied  by 
the  subjoined  note. — 

'•'  My  Dear  Friend, 

"  The  best  proof  I  can  give  you  of  my  obligat'on  to  you  for  your  labor 
of  last  night,  is  by  sending  you  the  enclosed,  the  outline  of  which  occurred 
to  me  on  my  return  home.  Were  it  more  worthy  of  the  subject,  it  would 
be  more  worthy  of  your  acceptance,  as  well  as  more  gratifying  to 

Yours  very  faithfully, 

Guilford-street,  Friday  Afternoon.  J.  M.  GOOD." 


264  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

Now  REASON  !  trim  thy  brightest  lamp, 

Thy  boldest  powers  excite  ; 
Muster  thy  doubts,  a  copious  camp — 

And  arm  thee  for  the  fight. 

View  nature  through — and,  from  the  round 

Of  things  to  sense  reveal'd, 
Contend  'tis  thine  alike  to  sound 

Th'  abyss  of  things  conceal'd. 

Hold,  and  affirm  that  God  must  heed 

The  sinner's  contrite  sighs, 
Though  never  victim  were  to  bleed, 

Or  frankincense  to  rise. 

Prove  by  the  plummet,  rule,  and  line, 

By  logic's  nicest  plan, 
That  MAN  could  ne'er  be  half  divine, 

Nor  aught  DIVINE  be  man  : 

That  he  who  holds  the  worlds  in  awe, 

Whose  fiat  formed  the  sky, 
Could  ne'er  be  subjugate  to  law, 

Nor  breathe,  and  groan,  and  die. 

This  prove  till  all  the  learn'd  submit : 

Here  learning  I  despise, 
Or  only  own  what  Holy  Writ 

To  heavenly  minds  supplies. 

O  Word  !  O  Wisdom  ! — boundless  theme 

Of  rapture  and  of  grief : — 
Lord,  I  believe  the  truth  supreme. 

O,  help  my  unbelief. 

BEHOLD    THE    MAN ! 

Behold  the  Man ! — was  ever  face 

With  grief  so  furrow'd  and  worn  down  ? 

ScofF'd  at  and  scourg'd — a  reed  his  mace, 
And  goading  thorns  his  mimic  crown. 

A  reed  his  mace — his  crown  rude  thorns, 

Whose  sceptre  sways  earth,  heaven,  and  hell 

Whose  glory  all  the  heights  adorns, 
Whose  praise  adoring  seraphs  tell. 

Behold  the  Man  ! — and  in  that  man 

A  love  surpassing  wonder  see ; 
For  thee  in  streams  his  life  blood  ran, 

He  bow'd,  he  groan'd,  he  died  for  thee. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  265 

Behold  the  Man !  through  time's  long  reign 

Ye  dead,  awake  !  ye  unborn,  view  ! — 
From  the  deep  world's  foundation  slain, 

Th'  atoning  Lamb  is  slain  for  you. 

Behold  the  Man  !  and,  while  ye  may, 

Sue  to  his  sceptre,  and  adore ; 
To-day  he  calls — beyond  to-day 

That  precious  voice  may  sound  no  more. 

Behold  the  Man  !  hehold  the  God  ! 

The  mighty  Conqueror  bursts  the  tomb  ; 
He  rises,  and  resumes  his  rod  ; 

Flee  while  ye  may  the  sinner's  doom. 


Life  is  a  sea — how  fair  its  face, 

How  smooth  its  dimpling  waters  pace, 

Its  canopy  how  pure  ! 
But  rocks  below,  and  tempests  sleep, 
Insidious,  o'er  the  glassy  deep, 

Nor  leave  an  hour  secure. 

Life  is  a  wilderness — beset 

With  tangling  thorns,  and  treach'rous  net, 

And  prowl'd  by  beasts  of  prey. 
One  path  alone  conducts  aright, 
One  narrow  path,  with  little  light ; 

A  thousand  lead  astray. 

Life  is  a  warfare — and  alike 
Prepared  to  parley,  or  to  strike, 

The  practis'd  foe  draws  nigh. 
O,  hold  no  truce  !  less  dangerous  far 
To  stand,  and  all  his  phalanx  dare, 

Than  trust  his  specious  lie. 

Whate'er  its  form,  whate'er  its  flow, 
While  life  is  lent  to  man  below, 

One  duty  stands  confest — 
To  watch  incessant,  firm  of  mind, 
To  watch  where'er  the  post  assign'd, 

And  leave  to  God  the  rest. 

'Twas  while  they  watch'd,  the  shepherd-swain* 
Heard  angels  strike  to  angel-strains 

The  song  of  heavenly  love  : 
Blest  harmony  !  that  far  excels 
All  music  else  on  earth  that  dwells, 

Or  e'er  was  tun'd  above. 

'Twas  while  they  watch'd  the  sages  trac'd 
The  star  that  every  star  eftac'd 

23 


266  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

With  new  and  nobler  shine  : 
They  follow'd,  and  it  led  the  way 
To  where  the  infant  Saviour  lay, 

And  gave  them  light  divine. 

'Twas  while  they  watch'd.  with  lamp  in  hand, 
And  oil  well  stor'd,  the  virgin  band 

The  bridal  pomp  descried  ; 
They  join'd  it — and  the  heavenly  gate, 
That  op'd  to  them  its  glorious  state, 

Was  clos'd  on  all  beside. 

Watch  !  "  watch  and  pray  !" — in  suffering  hour 
Thus  he  exclaim'd,  who  felt  its  power, 

And  triumph 'd  in  the  strife. 
Victor  of  death  !  thy  voice  I  hear  : 
Fain  would  I  watch  with  holy  fear, 
Would  watch  and  pray  through  life's  career, 

And  only  cease  with  life. 

For  the  last  seven  or  eight  years  of  his  life,  Dr.  Good, 
persuaded  of  the  incalculable  benefits,  of  the  highest 
order,  likely  to  accrue  from  Bible  and  Missionary  socie- 
ties, gave  to  them  his  most  cordial  support;  on  many 
occasions  advocating  their  cause  at  public  meetings,  and 
on  others  employing  his  pen  in  their  defence.  To  the 
concerns  of  "  the  Church  Missionary  Society"  especially, 
he  devoted  himself  with  the  utmost  activity  and  ardor,  as 
a  most  judicious,  learned,  and  able  member  of  its  com- 
mittee. He  suggested  some  useful  plans  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  missionaries,  and,  in  certain  cases,  of  their  wives, 
in  the  general  principles  of  medical  science,  the  nature 
and  operation  of  the  simpler  remedies,  and  in  the  safe 
practical  application  of  such  knowledge  to  numerous 
cases  which  may  obviously  occur  amongst  the  inhabitants 
of  the  dark  and  uncivilized  regions  in  which  Christian 
missionaries  most  frequently  labor.  These  suggestions 
were  not  merely  proposed  in  general  terms,  in  the  com- 
mittee ;  but,  in  many  instances,  carried  into  the  minutiae 
of  detail,  by  instructions  which  Dr.  Good  gave  personally 
to  the  missionaries  themselves.*  Nor  was  the  advice 

*  At  his  death,  the  Committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  trans- 
mitted to  Mrs.  Good  a  resolution  expressive  of  the  very  high  value  they  set 
upon  his  services,  and  of  the  heavy  loss  they  were  conscious  they  sustained 
by  that  event.  The  resolution  was  accompanied  by  a  letter  of  cordial  sym- 
pathy from  the  Rev.  E.  Bickersteth,  the  Secretary. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 

thus  given  confined  to  professional  topics.  The  stores 
of  his  richly  endowed  mind  were  opened  to  their  use  ou 
subjects  of  general  literature,  biblical  criticism,  the  rules 
of  translation,  the  principles  of  geology,  botany,  zoology, 
nay,  every  department  of  knowledge  calculated  to  fit  them 
thoroughly  for  their  noble  and  arduous  undertaking. 
Nor,  again,  were  these  kind  and  valuable  offices  confined 
to  individuals  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  alone. 
His  soul  was  too  liberal  and  capacious,  and  his  convic- 
tion of  the  paucity  of  the  laborers  too  deep,  to  induce  him 
for  a  moment  to  wish  or  to  imagine  that  the  glorious  ob- 
ject could  be  accomplished  entirely  by  missionaries  of 
any  one  persuasion.  On  different  occasions  I  have  intro- 
duced to  him  missionaries  and  others  connected  with 
various  religious  societies,  who  were  anxious  to  profit  by 
his  advice,  on  topics  respecting  which  they  scarcely  knew 
where  else  to  apply  ;  and,  uniformly,  the  individuals  who 
thus  availed  themselves  of  the  privilege,  have  testified  in 
the  most  lively  terms  their  grateful  sense  of  the  affec- 
tionate kindness  of  his  demeanor,  and  the  value  of  his 
suggestions. 

During  four  or  five  years  preceding  the  close  of  Dr. 
Good's  life,  he  never  (as  I  have  mentioned  towards  the 
end  of  the  first  section  of  these  Memoirs)  seems  to  have 
lost  sight  of  the  practical  conviction  of  the  shortness  of 
human  existence,  and  the  uncertainty  of  its  termination. 
This  conviction,  while  it  quickened  his  activity  with 
regard  to  the  professional  works  upon  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, and  which,  from  the  best  motives,  he  was  solici- 
tous to  finish,  served  also  to  quicken  his  vigilance  in  the 
Christian  course,  to  give  relish  to  his  hours  of  retirement, 
and  to  sweeten  his  converse  with  God.  Nor  did  he 
restrain  himself  to  contemplation  and  devotion  alone, 
greatly  as  he  enjoyed  them.  In  various  intervals  of 
leisure,  which  they  who  knew  the  most  of  the  multi- 
plicity of  his  occupations  and  pursuits  most  wonder  how 
he  found,  he  gave  vent  to  his  trains  of  meditation  arid 
feeling,  in  the  composition  of  essays  of  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent, (as  the  subject  drew  him  out,  or  the  opportunity 
permitted,)  of  which  the  manuscript  copies  were  found  af- 


268  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

ter  his  death,  under  the  title  of  "  OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS." 
These,  indeed,  give  evidence  that 

"The  soul's  dark  cottage,  batter'd  and  decay'd, 
Lets  in  new  light,  through  chinks  that  time  hath  made  :" 

and  that,  as  he  approached  the  close  of  his  earthly  career, 
he  was  advancing  in  meetness  for  the  celestial  regions. 
They  are  also  calculated  to  make  a  salutary  impression 
upon  reflecting  minds.  I  shall,  therefore,  select  with 
freedom  from  these  instructive  compositions;  simply 
adding,  that,  in  order  that  the  state  of  mind  of  their 
writer  may  be  duly  appreciated,  they  should  be  perused 
with  the  recollection  that  they  are  not  the  productions  of 
an  ascetic,  secluded  from  the  world,  and  yielding  himself 
solely  to  exercises  of  devotion,  but  of  a  man  engaged  con- 
scientiously in  the  duties  of  a  laborious  profession,  as 
well  as  in  the  composition  of  elaborate  works  of  science 
and  practice ;  from  which  he  withdrew,  as  moments  of 
retirement  could  be  found,  thus  to  solace  himself. 


OCCASIONAL  THOUGHTS. 

AND    ENOCH    WALKED    WITH    GOD. 

Genesis  v.  24. 

"  This  is  the  only  walk  in  which  we  can  never  go 
astray  ;  and  happy  he  who,  amidst  the  innumerable  paths 
by  which  he  is  surrounded,  is  led  to  the  proper  walk. 
To  walk  with  God,  we  must  take  heed  to  every  step  of 
his  providence  and  his  grace — we  must  have  a  holy  fear 
of  not  keeping  close  to  him  ;  though  he  will  never  leave 
us,  if  we  do  not  leave  him.  We  must  maintain  a  sacred 
communion  with  him,  and  have  our  conversation  in 
heaven  rather  than  on  earth  ;  we  must  be  perpetually 
receding  from  the  world,  and  withdrawing  from  its  at- 
tachments. We  must  feel  our  hearts  glow  with  a  greater 
degree  of  love  to  him,  and,  by  the  influence  of  his  holy 
Spirit  upon  our  affections,  become  gradually  more  assimi- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  269 

lated  to  the  divine  nature.  We  must  take  his  word  for 
our  directory,  his  promises  for  our  food,  and  his  blessed 
Son  for  our  sole  reliance,  making  the  foot  of  the  cross  our 
only  resting  place. 

"  If  we  thus  walk  with  God  through  the  wilderness  of 
life,  he  will  walk  with  us  when  we  reach  the  dark  '  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death;'  and  though  we  cannot  hope  for 
the  same  translation  as  Enoch,  still,  like  him,  '  we  shall 
not  be,  because  God  hath  taken  us.' 

MY    KINGDOM    IS    NOT    OF    THIS    WORLD. 

John  xviii.  36. 

"The  world  cannot  exist  without  moral  order,  the  first 
principles  of  which  are  written  in  the  heart,  and  become 
a  law  of  themselves  unto  those  who  are  without  the  know- 
ledge of  a  revealed  law.*  And,  hence,  it  has  been  a 
great  aim  of  every  revealed  dispensation  to  coincide 
with  and  give  all  possible  support  to  this  natural  and 
most  wholesome  impression.  Now,  the  ordinary  effect 
of  this  law  of  moral  order  is  to  render  a  man  respected 
and  happy,  whatever  may  be  his  station  in  life  ;  and  so 
far  the  maxims  of  the  world  concur  with  those  of  religion  ; 
for  the  man  of  piety  is  by  his  very  tenets  obliged  to  act 
up  to  the  spirit  of  this  law,  and  must  necessarily  partici- 
pate in  its  general  advantages.  And  as  the  moralist  com- 
monly finds  that  '  honesty  is  the  best  policy,'  so  the  Chris- 
tian ascertains,  upon  the  same  scale,  even  in  respect  to 
external  concerns,  that  '  the  ways  of  wisdom  are  ways  of 
pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  are  peace  :'  that '  godliness 
is  profitable  unto  all  things ;  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come.'t 

"  On  this  middle  ground,  the  two  systems  touch,  but 
beyond  this  there  is  little  or  no  connexion  on  either  side. 
'  My  kingdom  (said  our  Saviour)  is  not  of  this  world.' 
And  it  is  wonderful  to  behold  how  much  the  general  provi- 
dence, as  well  as  the  spectal  interposition  of  God,  has, 
at  all  times,  been  laboring  to  fix  this  important  doctrine 
in  our  bosoms  ;  and  to  show  us  how  little  worldly  power, 
or  worldly  talents,  or  worldly  influence  of  any  kind,  have 

*Rom.  ii.  H.  t  1  Tim.  iv.8. 


'270  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

availed  to  propagate  or  uphold  religion  ;  to  introduce  it 
into  the  heart,  or  to  keep  it  there.  The  brightest  and 
most  heroic  times  for  the  church,  have  generally  been 
those  of  persecution  :  the  darkest  and  most  disgraceful, 
those  in  which  the  arm  of  secular  power  has  thrust  for- 
ward its  impotent  and  unhallowed  efforts  in  her  behalf; 
and  compelled  mankind  to  become  proselytes  to  the  faith. 

"  What  has  the  mightiest  and  most  pompous  crusade 
ever  achieved  in  favor  of  that  very  cross  whose  cause  it 
so  wantonly  undertook ;  and  under  whose  banners,  con- 
secrated indeed  by  the  oil  of  mistaken  or  arrogant  hiero- 
phants,  but  never  by  the  unction  of  the  eternal  Spirit, 
the  confederate  armies  of  Europe  have  marched  forward 
against  the  painim  foe  with  enthusiasm  ?  What  single 
spot  on  the  whole  map  of  the  globe  can  we  select  as  a 
trophy  of  its  triumphant  career,  as  an  extension  of  the 
boundary  line  of  Christendom  1  When  have  such  ex- 
ploits ever  succeeded  in  permanently  planting  a  church, 
or  rescuing  a  single  village  from  the  thraldom  of  super- 
stition or  infidelity  ?  Or  where,  indeed,  have  they  ever 
been  crowned  with  the  success  that  might  have  been 
reasonably  expected  on  every  other  occasion ;  and  which 
has  accompanied  the  sword  of  other  powers  when  drawn 
for  the  spread  of  false  religions?  Where  Bramha  now 
lords  it  with  almost  undisputed  sway,  from  the  Ganges  to 
the  Indus,  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  faith  of  Budha  was 
once  the  reigning  superstition  :  and  the  rich  and  varie- 
gated regions  of  Egypt,  Persia,  Arabia,  and  Europe,  the 
plundered  and  subjugated  patriarchate  of  the  East,  the 
oppressive  sufferings  of  the  Archipelago,  still  attest,  in  a 
long  train  of  triumphs,  the  proud  harvests  of  the  Crescent. 

"  Whence  this  extraordinary  difference  ?  this  contrast 
so  ineconcileable  with  the  natural  order  of  things,  and 
the  march  of  moral  calculation  1  The  words  of  our 
adorable  Saviour  alone  solve  the  mystery  :  '  My  kingdom 
is  not  of  this  world,  (else)  would  my  servants  fight/ 

"  What  have  the  wealth,  or  the  splendor,  or  the  talents, 
of  the  world,  ever  accomplished  in  favor  of  genuine  re- 
ligion 1  or  what  are  they  accomplishing  at  this  moment  ? 
If  we  turn  to  the  magnificent  biographies  of  those  who 
are  already  gone  to  give  an  account  of  this  momentous 
concern  at  the  bar  of  the  final  Judge ;  or  follow  up  their 


DK.  MASON    GOOD.  ^"  I 

successors  into  the  witty  or  the  fashionable  circles  of  our 
own  day — how  small  is  the  aggregate  of  their  contribu- 
tions !  A  precious  example  of  genuine  piety,  issuing 
from  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  sources,  is  occasionally 
to  be  traced  in  the  horizon,  illuminating  the  surrounding 
opake  with  its  refreshing  lustre,  as  though  to  show  that 
such  a  meteor  is  possible  :  while  the  general  body  seem 
spell-bound,  for  the  purpose  of  verifying  our  Saviour's 
declaration,  '  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.' 

"  It  was  so  in  his  day,  and  it  will  be  so  to  the  end  of 
time.  What  was  the  furniture  of  the  first  evangelists, 
and  how  were  they  caparisoned  for  the  combat  ?  '  Pro- 
vide neither  gold,  nor  silver,  nor  brass,  in  your  purses, 
nor  scrip  for  your  journey  ;  neither  two  coats,  neither 
shoes,  nor  yet  staves. — Take  no  thought  how  or  what  ye 
shall  speak  ;  for  it  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same  hour 
what  ye  shall  speak.'* 

"  And  so  it  was  from  the  beginning.  When  God  led 
forth  his  people  from  Egypt,  it  was  entirely  a  work  of 
special  providence.  In  the  barren  wilderness  they  multi- 
plied as  the  stars  in  the  firmament  for  number ;  their 
clothes  waxed  not  old  upon  them,  nor  were  their  shoes 
worn  out  by  journeying :  the  heavens  rained  down  food, 
and  the  flinty  rock  poured  forth  water.  But  chiefly  was 
the  great  principle  manifested,  that  '  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  not  of  this  world,'  when  they  were  on  the  point  of 
entering  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  of  measuring  their 
strength  with  that  fearful  enemy,  whose  name  alone  had 
cowed  the  hearts  of  their  fathers  only  forty  years  before, 
from  the  false  representation  that  they  were  giants  in 
stature, t  and  defended  by  towns  whose  walls  reached  up 
to  the  heavens. t  The  whole  passage,  as  related  in  the 
book  of  Joshua,  is  full  of  a  simplicity  and  a  majesty  un- 
rivalled in  any  other  volume,  and  rarely  equalled  in  the 
bible  itself.  In  the  face  of  this  formidable  people,  who, 
aware  of  their  approach,  and  in  league  with  every  ad- 
joining power,  were  drawn  up  in  a  line  of  defence,  they 
w-ere  commanded  to  march  forward  to  the  banks  of  the 
wide  and  impetuous  Jordan,  at  that  time  overflowing  its 

-  .Malt.  x.  9, 10,  19. 

t  Numb.  xiii.  28.  }  Deul.  i.  28. 


272  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

sides  from  the  vernal  floods  of  the  neighboring  moun- 
tains, and  to  cross  the  river.  The  whole  army  was  in- 
stantly in  motion ;  prepared  at  all  hazards  to  obey  the 
call,  though  they  had  neither  rafts  nor  pontoons,  nor  any 
other  visible  means  of  coping  with  the  stream.  It  was 
the  voice  of  Jehovah  that  gave  the  word  ;  and  in  the 
power  of  Jehovah  they  put  their  trust.  They  were  nobly 
resolved  to  do  their  utmost,  and  to  leave  the  issue  in  the 
hands  of  the  God  of  Israel.  It  was  enough  ;  and  those 
who  act  thus  are  always  safe.  We  have  no  claim  to  ex- 
pect the  interposition  of  Providence,  if  we  do  not  make 
use  of  every  exertion  for  ourselves  :  and  then  may  be 
most  sure  of  it,  when  we  have  been  most  unwearied  in 
our  efforts. 

"  The  army  of  Israel,  and  the  multitudes  of  the  entire 
nation  who  were  with  them,  their  wives  and  their  little 
ones,  being  thus  prepared  and  full  of  expectation,  were 
suddenly  ordered  to  halt.  And  to  show  how  little  God 
stands  in  need  of  human  power  and  human  prowess,  and 
that  the  means  of  carrying  forward  his  kingdom  are  not 
of  this  world — the  ark  by  itself  is  commanded  to  take 
the  lead,  sustained  on  the  shoulders  of  a  few  unarmed 
Levites  alone,  while  the  army  and  the  people  are  forbid- 
den to  approach  it  within  the  distance  of  half  a  mile. 
In  this  manner  marched  forward  the  procession  ;  the 
unarmed  ark  protecting  the  men  of  war,  instead  of  the 
men  of  war  protecting  the  unarmed  ark.  In  this  manner 
was  it  that  the  waters  of  Jordan  fled,*  like  lambs,  at  the 
presence  of  the  divine  symbol :  and  the  hostile  country 
on  the  other  side  its  banks  was  invaded,  and  fell  prostrate 
before  its  mighty  and  irresistible  influence.! 

"  What  a  consolation  does  this  subject  offer  to  every 
missionary  undertaking  of  the  present  day,  founded  upon 
just  principles,  and  simply  actuated  by  a  humble  but  zeal- 
ous endeavor  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  that  kingdom 
which  is  not  of  this  world.  How  fully  doth  it  open  to  us 
the  only  path  in  which  we  are  to  tread,  and  the  only 

*  Psalm  exiv.  5. 

t  On  contrasting  this  language  with  Dr.  Good's  notes  on  parts  of  the 
book  of  Joshua,  (p.  234,)  and  endeavoring  (o  account  for  so  essential  a  dif- 
ference, we  must  recur,  for  the  only  solution,  to  the  Psalmist — "  This  is  the 
Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes." 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 

armor  we  are  to  display.  All  human  means  must  be  re- 
sorted to  that  lie  within  our  reach,  suggested  by  prudence 
and  sanctified  by  prayer.  Yet,  even  these  are  to  be  but 
auxiliaries,  and  kept  in  the  back  ground,  while,  as  to  the 
world,  its  wealth  and  its  talents  are  but  little  needed  ; 
and  its  pornp  and  its  dominion  are  the  worst  allies  we 
can  engage  on  our  behalf.  Without  the  ark  of  the  Lord 
— the  Lord  of  all  the  earth* — no  enterprise  can  be  suc- 
cessful :  but  let  this  go  before  us,  and  success  is  certain, 
whatever  difficulties  may  obstruct  our  way  :  '  When  thou 
passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ;  and, 
through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee.'t — '  Who 
art  thou,  O  great  mountain  ? — before  Zerubbabel  thou 
shalt  become  a  plain. '| — '  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power, 
but  by  my  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. '§ 

w  This  high  tone  of  feeling,  this  truly  evangelical  spirit, 
has,  happily  for  us,  and  for  the  entire  globe,  at  length 
been  seized,  and  is  acting  upon  ;  and  the  promises  of 
God  are  in  every  quarter  maintaining  their  veracity." 

FORM      OF     PRAYER. 

July  Wtli,  1823.JI 

"  Which  I  purpose  to  use  among  others,  every  morn- 
ing, so  long  as  it  may  please  God  that  I  shall  continue  in 
the  exercise  of  my  profession  ;  and  which  is  here  copied 
out,  not  so  much  to  assist  my  own  memory,  as  to  give  a 
hint  to  many  who  may  perhaps  feel  thankful  for  it  when 
I  am  removed  to  a  state  where  personal  vanity  can  have 
no  access,  and  the  opinion  of  the  world  can  be  no  longer 
of  any  importance.  I  should  wish  it  to  close  the  subse- 
quent editions  of  my  '  Study  of  Medicine.' 

*  Josh.  iii.  13.  t  Isa.  xliii.  2.  \  Zech.  iv.  7.  $  Ibid.  6. 

||  A  few  days  before  the  death  of  his  beloved  son-in-law.  Mr.  Neale. 
For  several  years  ihe  spirit  of  this  prayer  was  fully  exemplified  in  Dr. 
Good's  practice.  The  sympathy  he  manifested  for  his  patients  was  of  the 
highest,  order.  When  he  prescribed,  he  was  in  ihe  habit  of  praying  for 
Divine  direction  ;  on  administering  a  medicine  himself,  he  was  often  known 
to  utter  a  short  ejaculatory  prayer  ;  and.  in  cases  where  a  fatal  issue  was 
inevitable,  he  most  scrupulously  avoided  the  cruel  delusion  too  common  on 
such  occasions,  but  with  the  utmost  delicacy  and  feeling  announced  his  ap- 
prehensions. 


274  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

"  O  thou  great  bestower  of  health,  strength,  and  com- 
fort !  grant  thy  blessing  upon  the  professional  duties  in 
which  this  day  I  may  engage.  Give  me  judgment  to 
discern  disease,  and  skill  to  treat  it ;  and  crown  with 
thy  favor  the  means  that  may  be  devised  for  recovery ; 
for,  with  thine  assistance,  the  humblest  instrument  may 
succeed,  as,  without  it,  the  ablest  must  prove  unavailing. 

"  Save  me  from  all  sordid  motives  ;  and  endow  me  with  a 
spirit  of  pity  and  liberality  towards  the  poor,  and  of  ten- 
derness and  sympathy  towards  all ;  that  I  may  enter  into 
the  various  feelings  by  which  they  are  respectively  tried  ; 
may  weep  with  those  that  weep,  and  rejoice  with  those 
that  rejoice. 

"  And  sanctify  thou  their  souls,  as  well  as  heal  their 
bodies.  Let  faith  and  patience,  and  every  Christian  virtue 
they  are  called  upon  to  exercise,  have  their  perfect  work  : 
so  that  in  the  gracious  dealings  of  thy  Spirit  and  of  thy 
providence,  they  may  find  in  the  end,  whatever  that  end 
may  be,  that  it  has  been  good  for  them  to  have  been 
afflicted. 

"  Grant  this,  O  heavenly  Father,  for  the  love  of  that 
adorable  Redeemer,  who,  while  on  earth,  went  about 
doing  good,  and  now  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
us  in  heaven.  Amen." 

« 

"  THE    WAY    EVERLASTING. 

Psalm  cxxxix.  24. 

"  This  is  the  only  way  that  can  be  worth  the  pursuit 
of  an  immortal  being  : — a  way  that  may  hold  on  with  him 
through  his  entire  career,  and  not  stop  short  and  deceive 
him  in  the  middle  of  his  course. 

"  Now  of  all  the  ways,  and  they  are  innumerable, 
which  the  world  has  to  offer  us — which  of  them  is  there  that 
can  boast  of  this  momentous  and  indispensable  requisite? 
which  of  them  can  style  itself  A  WAY  EVERLASTING  ?  In- 
stead of  being  everlasting,  there  is  not  one  of  them  that 
can  engage  to  accompany  us  through  the  present  life — 
some  of  them  not  through  a  twelvemonth  of  it, — while  by 
far  the  greater  number  fail  as  soon  as  we  enter  upon 
them,  and  prove  their  vanity  at  the  very  outset. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  275 

"  It  is,  therefore,  a  very  subordinate  inquiry,  what  are 
the  kinds  of  pleasure  that  any  of  these  have  to  offer  ? 
Nor  is  it  of  much  more  importance  to  be  informed  whe- 
ther they  can  make  good  their  pretensions  ?  which,  after 
all,  few,  if  any  of  them,  are  able  to  do.  For  admitting 
they  can  realize  what  they  hold  out  to  us,  our  mortification 
must  only  be  the  greater  when  we  find  that  the  crop  of 
fruition  is  exhausted,  the  season  of  enjoyment  at  an  end, 
and  that  there  is  no  new  harvest  to  succeed  to  it. 

"  What  we  want,  and  without  which  we  should  never 
be  satisfied,  is  that  which  the  psalmist  here  longs  for — 
A  WAV  KVCRKASTIXG  \  a  something  that  shall  run  the 
whole  race  of  the  soul,  and  keep  up  with  its  illimitable 
duration.  Can  ambition  give  us  anything  of  this  kind? 
Every  one  who  looks  the  least  beyond  his  own  person 
must  say — no  !  The  man  who  treads  in  this  way,  seldom 
indeed  holds  on  so  far  as  even  the  way  itself  lies  open ; 
— worn  out  by  the  hectic  that  consumes  his  enfevered 
frame,  or  cut  down  in  the  midst  of  his  hey-day  by  some 
fatal  mischance  that  he  did  not  calculate  upon.  Yet,  let 
him  reach  the  goal — let  him  be  crowned  with  the  guer- 
don he  has  sighed  for,  and  which  his  sweat  and  his  labor 
have  more  than  merited.  Are  the  laurels,  indeed,  peren- 
nial ?  Has  he,  in  reality,  acquired  the  precise  object  he 
has  boen  in  pursuit  of?  Let  the  Alexanders,  the  Caesars, 
the  Charlemagnes,  the  Cro'mwells,  the  Bonapartes  of  the 
world,  answer  the  question.  Instead  of  a  way  everlast- 
ing, they  have  only  acquired  a 

Monumentum  sere  perennius ; 

a  pyramid  more  lasting  than  brass  :  and  their  only  real 
guerdon  is  a  hicjacet  on  a  marble  tablet.  This  is  all  \ve 
know  of  them  on  this  side  the  grave,  and  there  have  been 
but  few  of  their  companions  here  who  would  wish  to  be 
companions  with  them  beyond  it. 

"But  the  ways  of  the  world  are  innumerable,  and  this 
is  only  one  of  them.  There  is  the  way  of  wealth  ;  the 
way  of  pomp  and  ostentation  ;  the  way  of  popular  ap- 
plause ;  the  way  of  gallantry  ;  the  way  of  gluttony  ;  the 
way  of  indolent  repose  ;  and  the  way  of  wit  and  learning. 
These,  too,  have  their  respective  attractions.  Over  their 
portals  are  engraven  the  most  alluring  mottos,  the  most 
specious  promises  ;  like  the  philacteries  over  the  shoul- 


276  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OP 

ders  and  foreheads  of  the  Pharisees  of  old  ;  and,  like 
them  too,  making  an  open  mock  of  those  who  placed 
them  there. 

"  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  they  are  all  exactly  upon  a 
level,  equally  hollow  and  deceitful,  and  alike  unworthy  the 
pursuit  of  an  immortal  spirit.  But  take  the  best  of  them 
— the  way  of  sound,  illuminating  science;  that  which 
unfolds  to  us  the  beautiful  order  of  nature,  and  the  ada- 
mantine rock  of  moral  obligations.  It  accompanies  us 
only  to  the  end  of  the  present  life,  and  vanishes  at  the 
very  point  where  we  stand  most  in  need  of  a  guiding 
clue.  It  leads  us  to  the  grave — but  it  leads  us  no  further  ; 
and  its  end,  like  that  of  all  the  rest,  is  destruction.  This, 
in  truth,  is  the  iron  that  entered  into  the  soul  of  the  best 
and  the  wisest  sages  of  antiquity,  when  engaged  in  the 
momentous  inquiry  before  us.  They  had  their  hopes  and 
their  surmises,  but  they  had  nothing  more.  The  strongest 
part  of  the  Epicurean  philosophy  is  that  which  points  out 
the  unsatisfactory  nature  of  all  those  arguments  which 
mere  reason  is  able  to  offer  in  favor  of  a  future  state. 
And  hence,  he  who  apparently  knew  them  all  (for  they 
are  of  very  ancient  rise,  and  for  the  most  part  only 
reached  Greece  from  the  East)  is  fully  justified  in  assert- 
ing that  '  in  much  wisdom  is  much  grief;  and  he  that 
increaseth  knowledge  increaseth  sorrow.'*  '  Life  and 
immortality  are  brought  to  light  (alone)  by  the  gospel. 't 
This  is  a  doctrine  that  cannot  be  too  strongly  insisted 
upon  :  for  though  it  is  not  the  only,  nor  even  the  chief 
doctrine  the  gospel  communicates,  it  is  that  without 
which  every  other  would  be  but  of  little  importance. 

"  The  only  way  everlasting,  then,  that  \ve  can  ever 
know7 — if  we  except  that  of  everlasting  destruction — and 
consequently  the  only  way  that  is  fitted  to  the  nature  of 
an  immortal  soul,  is  the  way  of  religion — and  of  religion 
as  expressly  revealed  to  us  by  God  himself;  and  it  is  a 
way  not  more  distinguished  by  this  peculiar  attribute  of 
perpetuity  than  by  every  other  that  it  possesses. 

"  Instead  of  captivating  by  the  magnificence  or  deco- 
rations of  its  vestibule,  and  the  beauty  of  its  opening 
scenery,  nothing  can  be  more  staggering  or  repulsive  : 
'  Strait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which  leadeth 

*  Ecoles.  i.  18.  t  2  Tim.  i.  10. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  277 

unto  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it.'*  Its  ensign  is  a 
Cross  ;  and  the  discipline  it  demands  of  every  one  who 
enters  it,  is  a  course  of  mortification  at  his  commence- 
ment, and  a  life  of  humility  through  his  whole  career. 
But,  equally  different  from  every  other  path  in  which  we 
can  possibly  tread,  it  widens  and  brightens,  and  grows 
delightful  as  we  proceed  ;  and  gives  at  length  to  the  as- 
tonished eye  every  charm  of  real  worth,  every  unmingled 
beauty  of  scene,  in  rich  and  uncontracted  profusion, 
which  every  other  path  makes  an  empty  boast  of,  and 
gives  them  in  perpetuity;  for  death  itself  is  not  allowed 
to  destroy  the  extatic  prospect.  The  dark  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  must,  indeed,  be  passed  through ;  but 
the  beams  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness  will  ever  illume  it, 
and  display,  beyond  its  beclouded  vista,  'the  path  of  life' 
still  spreading,  the  '  fulness  of  joy'  that  is  in  God's  pre- 
sence, the  pleasures  that  are  at  his  right  hand  for  ever- 
more.t 

"  It  is  this  last  part  of  the  description  that  gives  the 
finishing  stroke  to  the  whole,  and  forms  the  sum  of  the 
happiness  of  heaven — the  way  that  it  displays  to  us  is  a 
way  everlasting.  Were  it  not  so,  indeed,  it  would  be 
heaven  no  longer.  The  single  thought  that  the  joys  of 
the  blest  above  could  have  a  close,  would  give  a  sting  to 
every  delight,  and  raise  a  sigh  in  the  midst  of  every  halle- 
lujah. And  it  is  on  this  point,  therefore,  that  the  holy 
psalmist  concentrates  his  attention  in  the  passage  before 
us;  with  this  he  concludes  his  supplication,  overlooking 
all  the  rest,  as  though  swallowed  up  in  the  grand  and 
momentous  idea  of  perpetuity,  and  totally  inadequate  to 
the  vast  grasp  of  his  aspirations  without  it — O,  LEAD  MB 

IN    THE    WAY    EVERLASTING  !" 

"  BE    OF    GOOD    CHEER  :    IT    IS    I  J     BE    NOT    AFRAID. 

Malt.  xiv.  27. 

"  We  are  perpetually  hearing  of  the  troubles  .and  ca- 
lamities of  life  :  and  God  knows  there  is  reason  enough 
for  the  complaint  in  every  quarter.  Where  is  the  breeze 
that  does  not  waft  a  sigh  ?  the  sun  that  is  not  at  times 

*  Matt.  vii.  14.  t  Psalm  xvi.  11. 

24 


278  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

veiled  in  clouds  ?  the  harvest  that  does  not  produce  thorns 
and  briars  ?  where  is  the  house  without  its  mourning  1 
the  city  without  its  place  of  graves  1  How  constantly  is 
congratulation  exchanged  for  condolence  ;  and  the  joyous 
peal  for  the  knell  of  death  1  Life  is  a  series  of  griefs  and 
harassments  ;  and  we  no  sooner  escape  from  one  evil,  than 
we  have  to  encounter  another.  And  as  the  man  is  the 
daily  sport  of  wayward  facts,  so  is  the  mind  of  wayward 
fancies.  As  though  we  were  not  satisfied  with  the  sorrows 
that  actually  lie  in  our  way,  we  create  visionary  ones  in 
our  imagination,  or  anticipate  those  that  are  approach- 
ing ;  and,  descrying  them  through  the  mist  of  our  own 
fears,  give  them  a  horror  and  gigantic  gauntness  that 
does  not  naturally  belong  to  them. 

"  Now,  for  all  this  there  is  but  one  remedy :  and, 
blessed  be  God,  that  remedy  is  a  specific  :  it  has  stood 
the  test  of  nearly  two  thousand  years,  and  has  never  failed 
in  a  single  instance.  It  is  the  repose  of  the  Christian 
upon  his  Saviour  :  a  consciousness  of  his  perpetual  pre- 
sence and  support.  '  Be  of  good  cheer  :  it  is  I ; — be  not 
afraid.'  The  Christian  lays  the  entire  score  to  the  charge 
of  sin.  Man  had  no  fear,  no  trouble  of  any  kind,  when 
in  a  state  of  innocence:  and  when  he  shall  be  removed 
from  his  present  sinful  condition,  he  will  be  removed, 
also,  from  the  sorrows  and  perplexities  that  are  indige- 
nous to  it.  In  heaven  the  heart  is  happy,  because  it  is 
holy.  There  can  be  no  tears  where  God  is  present ;  no 
anxiety,  to  mar  the  pleasures  that  are  at  his  right  hand 
for  evermore.  The  harmony  of  the  skies  has  no  discord 
— the  song  of  the  Lamb  is  all  triumph.  How  can  he  be 
afraid  who  has  for  ever  sat  down  by  the  side  of  the  great 
Captain  of  his  salvation,  and  whose  banner,  waving  over 
him,  is  love  ? 

"  This  is  one  support  on  which  the  Christian  relies  in 
his  passage  through  the  wilderness  of  the  present  world  ; 
and  it  gives  steadiness  to  his  foot,  and  exhilaration  to  his 
cup.  He  confides  in  his  Saviour  as  to  the  result.  If  his 
course  be  painful,  he  knows  it  will  be  but  short ;  and  he, 
hence,  girds  up  the  loins  of  his  faith,  and  refreshes  him- 
self by  foretastes  of  the  future. 

"  But  the  Christian  is  not  left  to  anticipation  alone. 
He  has  another  support,  and  of  ineffable  value,  that  ap- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  279 

plies  to  the  time  being ;  and  softens  the  roughness  and 
mitigates  the  sting  of  every  evil  he  is  actually  encounter- 
ing. He  not  only  knows  that  he  shall  dwell  with  '  him 
whom  his  soul  loveth'*  hereafter,  but  that  his  beloved 
Saviour  is  personally  with  him  as  his  companion  in  every 
trial,  and  will  arm  him  with  strength  according  to  his 
day.  Our  blessed  Lord  has  no  where  told  us  that  a  pro- 
fession of  the  gospel,  an  assumption  of  his  cross,  will  be 
a  smooth  and  inviting  course  ;  but  only  that  its  sufferings 
will  he  amply  compensated  ;  and  that  the  balance  of  en- 
joyment will  be  infinitely  in  its  favor  in  the  long  run. 
'  The  ways  of  wisdom  are,  indeed,  ways  of  pleasantness, 
and  all  her  paths  are  peace  ;'  but  it  is  a  pleasantness  and 
a  peace,  not  of  the  world,  but  in  spite  of  the  world,  and 
which  the  worldling  intermcddleth  not  with.'t — '  In  the 
world  (says  our  Lord)  ye  shall  have  tribulation  ;  but  be 
of  good  cheer,  I  have  overcome  the  world  : — and,  lo!  I 
am  with  you  alway,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world. — Be  of 
good  cheer  :  it  is  I ; — be  not  afraid.' 

"  There  is  no  one  point  our  blessed  Lord  seems  to  have 
been  more  solicitous  to  inculcate  during  his  ministry  on 
earth,  than  a  cordial  reliance  on  the  presence  and  special 
protection  of  God,  as  an  antidote  against  the  troubles  of 
life.  It  forms  the  leading  subject  of  the  first  sermon  his 
lips  ever  uttered,  and  it  runs  through  the  whole  of  his 
dying  address.  '  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow  ;  for 
the  morrow  shall  take  thought  for  the  things  of  itself: 
sufficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof.'!  '  Peace  I 
leave  with  you  ;  my  peace  I  give  unto  you.  Not  as  the 
world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid.'^, 

"  The  first  of  these  passages  refers  to  the  general  pro- 
vidence of  God,  or  that  which,  with  infinite  wisdom  and 
goodness,  controls  the  affairs  of  ordinary  life  :  the  second 
to  his  special  providence,  or  the  peculiar  interpositions 
of  his  grace,  on  extraordinary  emergencies.  And  both 
are  the  rich  dowry  of  the  Christian. 

"  Why  should  he  be  troubled  in  thought  about  the  fate 
of  the  morrow,  who  knows  that  God,  who  is  his  God,  has 

*  Sol.  Songs,  i.  7.  t  Prov.  xiv.  10. 

t  Matt.  vi.  34.  $  John  xiv.  27. 


280  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

taken  thought  for  him  beforehand  ;  and  has  given  com- 
mission to  the  morrow  to  provide  for  itself?  Its  sun  will 
surely  shine — its  bread  and  water  will  surely  be  made 
good.  And,  even  in  the  midst  of  all  its  evils,  which  no 
forethought  can  ward  off,  and  which  the  highest  day  of 
prosperity  will  even  find  sufficient, — he  who  has  taught 
him  to  drop  all  anxiety  upon  the  subject,  will  be  with 
him  to  bear  or  to  lighten  the  burden,  still  whispering  in 
his  ear — '  Be  of  good  cheer  :  it  is  I ; — be  not  afraid.' 

"  But  it  may  be  his  lot  to  suffer  extraordinarily  ;  and 
to  suffer  too,  from  his  very  adherence  to  his  duty ;  from 
his  attachment  to  '  the  faith  that  was  once  delivered  to 
the  saints.'  He  may  be  thrown  into  the  furnace  of  per- 
secution ;  '  the  commandment  may  be  urgent,  and  the 
flame  exceeding  hot  ;'*  but  the  form  of  the  Son  of  God 
shall  still  walk  in  the  midst  of  the  fire  ;t  and  its  smell 
shall  not  pass  on  him,  neither  shall  it  have  power  over 
his  body. |  '  Be  of  good  cheer  :  it  is  I ; — be  not  afraid.' 

"  He  may  be  doomed  to  struggle  with  domestic  afflic- 
tion :  the  storm  may  gather  round  him  from  every  quar- 
ter :  its  waves  may  roar  and  be  tumultuous  ;  and  his  little 
bark  be  on  the  point  of  foundering  amidst  the  swell. — 
Still  lift  up  thine  eyes,  and  behold ! — Lo,  Jesus  is  walk- 
ing upon  the  sea  :§  hear  the  gracious  accents  of  his 
voice — '  Be  of  good  cheer  : — it  is  I ; — be  not  afraid.' 

"But  he  is  stretched  upon  the  bed  of  sickness;  every 
human  hope  vanisheth  ;  heavy  hang  the  shades  of  death 
on  his  eyelids.  His  disconsolate  family  press  around  him, 
and  pierce  his  heart ;  the  smugglings  of  dissolution  rend 
his  limbs  ;  and  an  awful  eternity  stretches  before  him. — 
What  can  support  him  in  this  complicated  struggle  ?  'this 
overwhelming  conflict  of  soul  and  body  1  Here,  too,  the 
means  are  ample  ;  the  crisis  is  abundantly  provided  for. 
The  Saviour  is  still  present  more  than  ever  ;  he  enters 
with  a  fellow-feeling  into  his  sufferings  :  for  he,  too,  has 
tasted  the  bitterness  of  death  ;  he  has  slept  in  the  bed  of 
the  grave ;  he  has  trodden  the  same  path,  and  even 
smoothed  it  by  his  footsteps,  and  is  only  gone  before  to 
prepare  him  a  place. ||  Lift  up  the  quivering  lid,  and 

*  Dan.  iii.  22.  t  Id.  25.  +  Id.  27. 

§  Malt,  xiv,  26.  ||  John  xiv.  2, 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  281 

catch  a  glimpse  of  him: — hear  the  music  of  his  voice, 
for  it  is  still  sounding — 'Be  of  good  cheer : — it  is  I  ; — be 
not  afraid. — I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was  dead  ;  and  be- 
hold, I  live  for  evermore,  amen  : — and  have  the  keys  of 
hell  and  of  death."* 

AND   THEY  HEARD  THE  VOICE  OF  THE    LORD  GOD   WALKING 
IN  THE  GARDEN  IN  THE  COOL  OF  THE    EVENING. t 


"  The  voice  of  God  is  for  ever  speaking,  but  man  is 
not  for  ever  hearing  it ;  and  hears  it,  indeed,  at  all  times, 
far  less  than  he  should  do.  But  there  are  seasons  in 
which  God  will  be  heard,  whether  we  may  choose  it  or 
not.  The  most  abandoned  sinner  that  ever  lived  cannot 
for  ever  shut  his  ears  against  the  voice  of  his  Creator. 
He  may  drown  the  sound,  perhaps,  at  times  in  the  dis- 
cordant din  of  the  world  ;  in  the  noise  and  uproar  and 
merriment  of  a  feast ;  he  may  rise  above  its  hallowed 
whisper  in  the  giddy  vortex  of  prosperity  ;  or  may  stupify 
himself  beyond  its  reach  in  the  apoplexy  of  intoxication. 
.Nay,  he  may,  with  fool-hardihood,  brave  its  loud  address 
in  the  tempest  and  in  the  thunder-storm,  and  remain 
careless  and  unmoved  amidst  the  wreck  of  nature  around 
him.  But  the  voice  of  God  shall  still  find  him  out,  and 
terrify  him  in  the  midst  of  all  his  evasions. 

"  It  shall  find  him  out  when  he  least  expects  it,  and 
when  he  is  least  prepared  for  it.  IN  THE  COOL  OF  THE 
EVENING,  when  retired  from  the  world,  and  wearied  with 
its  business  or  its  pleasures  ;  when  reclined  at  ease  in 
his  own  bowers,  or  seeking  quiet  or  recreation  in  his 
shady  walks — the  voice  of  God  will  find  him  in  the  gar- 
den, and  arrest  him  with  the  awful  sound,  '  Where  art 
thou  ?'  To  fly  is  now  in  vain  :  his  feet  are  fast  locked 
as  in  a  trap  ;  and  the  trees  of  the  garden  form  no  shelter. 

"  Again  strikes  the  awful  sound,  'Where  art  thou?' 
the  eye  of  God  is  upon  him,  and  reads  into  his  heart's 
core.  No  disguise  can  now  serve  him.  No  shield,  no 

*  Rev.  i.  18. 

t  This  was  written  on  the  receipt  of  Dr.  Drake's  "  Winter  Evenings," 
and  "  Evenings  in  Autumn." 

*24 


282  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

protector  is  at  hand.  He  feels  himself  naked  indeed — he 
feels,  and  sinks  with  shame  and  confusion. 

"  How  miserable  is  the  life  of  the  wicked  man  !  He 
dares  not  trust  himself  to  the  company  of  his  own  con- 
science. He  may  cast  up  the  accounts  of  his  merchan- 
dise, and  exult  in  them :  but  he  dares  not  cast  up  the 
nearer  accounts  of  his  own  heart.  Life  is,  indeed,  for 
him  a  forced  state,  a  fever,  a  delirium  :  and  its  only  com- 
fort is  the  sweat  and  the  exhaustion  of  a  crowd,  or  the 
stupifying  narcotic  of  the  bowl  or  the  bottle. 

"  How  miserable  is  the  life  of  the  wicked  man  !  All 
the  beauty  of  nature  is  lost  upon  him.  He  needs  no 
flaming  sword  to  keep  him  from  the  garden  of  Eden  :  for 
the  single  thought  that  the  LORD  GOD  is  walking  in  the 
garden,  will  at  all  times  drive  him  away  from  it  like  a 
whirlwind. 

"  It  is  here,  however, — it  is  IN  THE  COOL  OF  THE 
EVENING,  in  the  retirement  of  silence  and  solitude,  when 
not  a  breath  is  stirring  around  us,  that  the  voice  of  God 
is  oftenest  heard.  Elijah  was  commanded  to  take  his 
stand  upon  the  mountain  ;  and  he  beheld  the  mountain 
rent  with  a  whirlwind  ;  and  after  the  whirlwind  an  earth- 
quake ;  and  after  the  earthquake  a  conflagration.  Yet 
Jehovah  was  not  in  the  whirlwind,  nor  in  the  earthquake, 
nor  in  the  conflagration.  But  A  STILL  SMALL  VOICE  suc- 
ceeded, and  that  voice  was  the  voice  of  Jehovah. 

"  Happy  he  who  hears  it  as  Elijah  did  !  in  the  way  of 
duty,  and  charged  with  a  confidential  commission.  But 
let  it  come  how  it  may,  and  for  what  purpose  it  may,  yet 
let  him  hear  it.  The  still  small  voice  of  God  can  never 
fail  to  bring  with  it  a  blessing  :  and  in  the  cool  of  the 
evening,  in  the  privacy  of  the  garden,  the  heart  is  most 
open  to  its  impressive  message. 

"  It  may  be  a  voice  of  warning  :  but  it  will  still  be  in 
mercy.  O,  hear  it,  and  be  thankful.  Drink  in  the  solemn 
menace,  and  prostrate  thyself.  Escape  for  thy  life  from 
the  course  and  companions  it  denounces.  Escape,  lest 
thou  be  consumed  in  their  iniquity.  O,  haste  then  and 
escape  !  for  the  sun,  whose  beams  shall  soon  be  hid  in 
the  smoke  of  vengeance,  is  already  rising  upon  the  earth. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  233 

Escape  from  the  condemned  crowd,  and  flee  to  the  privi- 
leged spot — to  the  little  city  of  Zoar.* 

"  It  may  come  as  a  voice  of  chastisement.  It  may  lay 
thee  on  the  bed  of  sickness,  or  sweep  away  the  delight  of 
thine  eyes.  Still  hear  its  solemn  import,  and  bethink 
thyself.  Reflect  on  the  abuse  with  which  thou  has  em- 
ployed every  former  mercy  :  how  little  the  hand  of  God 
has  been  acknowledged  in  thy  prosperity  :  what  idols 
have  usurped  his  supreme  place  in  thy  heart ;  how  rapid 
the  step  with  which  thou  wert  rushing  on  to  eternal 
destruction — a  lover  of  pleasure,  and  without  God  in  the 
world.'  Hear  thou  the  rod,  and  him  that  hath  appointed 
it  :t  it  is  still  sent  to  thee  in  mercy.  Humble  thyself  in 
dust  and  ashes ;  pour  out  thy  soul  in  deep  penitence  ; 
kiss  the  Son,  while  his  wrath  is  thus  kindled  but  a  little  ;J 
put  thy  trust  in  him,  lest  thou  perish  in  the  way.  He 
may  demand  the  cutting  off  a  right  hand,  or  the  plucking 
out  a  right  eye  ;  but  '  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that  one  of 
thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy  whole  body 
should  be  cast  into  hell.'§  If  Eli  cannot  enter  into 
heaven  with  his  sons — let  him  enter  by  himself — and  re- 
joice with  trembling. 

"  But  there  are  those  to  whose  ear  the  voice  of  God 
comes  in  tones  of  unmingled  delight ;  who  languish  and 
ever  faint  for  it,  as  the  panting  hart  in  the  desert  for  the 
water  spring.  These  are  the  children  of  God ;  the 
despised  saints  of  the  world  :  but  who  cannot  be  more 
despised  by  the  world  than  they  themselves  despise  the 
world's  frivolous  and  short  lived  enjoyments.  Though 
they  are  in  the  world,  they  are  not  of  the  world  ;  they 
are  travellers  to  a  better  country,  to  a  more  abiding  city. 
The  day  is  to  them  a  time  of  probation  ;  they  conscien- 
tiously discharge  the  duties  that  lie  before  them,  and 
fulfil  the  work  of  the  day  in  its  day.  But  they  pant  for 
the  season  of  refreshment ;  for  the  cool  of  the  evening ; 
for  the  hour  of  meditation  and  prayer  ;  for  that  decline 
of  the  sun's  heat  and  garish  splendor,  in  which  the  world 
recedes,  and  heaven  opens  before  them.  They  hear  the 
voice  of  God  walking  in  the  garden,  and  joyfully  go  forth 
to  meet  him  ;  they  press  forward  from  the  shades,  and 
are  not  afraid. 

*  Gen.  xix.  23.  f  Mich.  vi.  9.  J  Ps.  ii.  12. 

$  Matt.  v.  29. 


284  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

"Everything,  then,  around  them,  gives  a  token  of 
God's  presence ;  the  solemn  stillness,  the  soothing  twi- 
light, the  tinkling  sheep  bell,  the  village  curfew,  the 
rippling  stream,  the  fragrant  breath  of  the  wild  hedge- 
row, the  even  song  of  the  woodlands ;  the  harmonious 
carol  of  nature  poured  forth  from  every  quarter  and  every 
object  in  praise  of  the  great  Creator.  Here  is  no  discord  : 
the  garden  of  Eden  is  again  open  ;  the  flaming  sword  is 
withdrawn.  Man  is  at  peace  with  God,  and  all  things 
are  at  peace  with  man. 

"  It  was  thus  the  holy  Psalmist  mused.  Retiring  from 
the  concerns  of  the  world,  he,  too,  sought  communion 
with  God  ;  he  sought  the  cool  of  the  evening,  and  heard 
his  voice  walking  in  the  garden.  He  saw  the  work  of 
his  hands,  in  the  firmament  opening  above  ;  and  in  the 
various  tribes  of  animals  spread  below,  rejoicing  in  the 
deep  forest,  and  in  the  green  pasture,  and  in  the  balmy 
air,  and  in  the  rustling  waters.  But  most  of  all  did  he 
see  God  in  the  wonderful  structure  of  his  own  kind  ;  in 
the  condescending  grace  displayed  to  him ;  in  the  dig- 
nity to  which  he  is  advanced  by  the  great  mystery  of  re- 
demption— raised  from  the  dust  to  rank  with  angels,  from 
sin  to  the  friendship  of  God  himself. 

"  It  was  this  last  thought  that  overwhelmed  him  with 
astonishment,  and  compelled  him  to  exclaim,  as  the  head, 
the  heart,  and  the  tongue  of  the  thronging  temple  around 
him,  the  priest  of  the  hallowed  altar  before  which  he 
bowed : 

When  I  contemplate  the  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers, 

The  moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  art  arraying,* 

What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ? 

Yea,  the  son  of  the  ground,*  that  thou  visitest  him? 

Behold,*  thou  hast  made  him  little  lower  than  the  angels, 

And  crowned  him  with  glory  and  honor. 

Thou  hast  given  him  dominion  over  the  works  of  thy  hands  ; 

Thou  hast  put  everything  under  his  feet : 

All  flocks  and  herds,  even  the  beasts  of  the  forest, 

The  birds  of  the  air,  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea, 

Traversing  the  paths  of  the  waters. 

O  Jehovah  !  our  Lord, 
How  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth  ! 

*  These  passages  are  rendered  strictly  from  the  Hebrew ;  and  show 
fully,  among  other  things,  that  the  psalm  was  intended  as  an  evening  song 
of  praise. 


DR.   MASON  GOOD.  285 


AND    AS    HE    REASONED  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS,  TEMPERANCE, 
AND    JUDGMENT    TO    COME,    FELIX    TREM11LED. 

Acts  xxiv.  2-j. 

"  The  whole  of  this  story,  and  especially  the  admirable 
defence  of  St.  Paul,  equally  distinguished  by  its  dignity, 
its  eloquence,  its  art,  and  its  holy  courage,  might  well  vie 
in  interest  with  the  most  impressive  causes  that  have  ever 
been  brought  before  a  human  bar,  were  it  even  possible 
to  confine  its  consequences  to  the  individual  arraigned, 
or  to  the  concerns  of  the  present  world.  But  when  we 
give  full  scope  to  its  mighty  bearing,  examine  the  subject 
to  which  the  accusation  relates,  as  forming  the  key  stone 
oCthe  Christian  creed,  and  dwell  on  the  holy  confidence 
with  which  St.  Paul  advances  and  maintains  it  as  the 
ground  work  of  his  own  defence,  all  other  trials  and 
courts  of  judicature  shrink  into  insignificance  before  it. 

"  It  is  peculiarly  instructive  to  mark  how  entirely  the 
apostolic  defendant  passes  by  all  the  abuse  and  invective, 
the  charge  of  being  '  a  pestilent  fellow,'  and  '  a  ringleader 
of  the  sect  of  the  Nazarenes,'  with  which  the  counsel  for 
the  prosecution  opens  his  address — as  altogether  con- 
temptible, and  unworthy  of  his  notice; — and  with  what 
rapidity  he  passes  on  to  the  real  malignity,  the  gravamen, 
of  the  crime  imputed  to  him,  his  belief  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  Son  of  God  from  the  dead,  as  the  first  fruits 
of  the  resurrection  of  all  mankind:  as  though  still  having 
before  him  the  momentous  truth  he  had  just  written  to 
the  Corinthians,  '  If  Christ  be  not  raised,  your  faith  is 
vain,  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins.'* 

"  Whatever  the  collateral  matter  brought  forward  on 
this  occasion,  St.  Paul  felt  that  it  was  against  this  master 
doctrine  of  the  infant  church,  that  the  whole  venom  of 
his  enemies  was  let  loose.  And  to  this,  therefore,  he 
restricts  his  defence.  '  Except,'  says  he,  '  it  be  for  this 
one  voice,  this  single  declaration,  that  I  cried,  standing 
amongst  them,  Touching  the  resurrection  of  the  dead 
(for  no  other  charge)  am  I  called  amongst  you  this  day.' 

"  The  case  was  so  clear,  that  the  court  could  not  hesi- 

*  1  Cor.  xv.  17. 


286  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

tate  a  moment.  The  accusers  were  filled  with  confu- 
sion ;  and  the  prisoner,  though  not  immediately  released, 
owing  to  the  corruption  of  the  judge,  who,  \ve  are  ex- 
pressly told,  hoped  that  money  should  have  been  given 
him  of  Paul,  that  he  might  loose  him,'*  and  who  we  may, 
hereby,  be  confident  had  been  prodigally  bribed  on  the 
other  side  to  condemn  him,  was  merely  entrusted  to  the 
general  superintendence  of  a  centurion,  who  was  ex- 
pressly commanded  to  { let  him  have  his  liberty,  and  to 
forbid  none  of  his  acquaintance  to  minister  or  to  come  to 
him.'t 

"  But  the  most  important  feature  in  the  entire  case  is 
the  striking  contrast  exhibited  in  the  conduct  and  de- 
meanor of  St.  Paul  himself  and  that  of  the  Roman  gov- 
ernor, to  whose  award  he  was  committed,  and  upon  whom, 
under  God,  his  fate  altogether  depended.  We  behold 
the  one  standing,  as  a  prisoner,  at  the  bar,  surrounded 
by  a  band  of  soldiers  ;  the  other  sitting  on  the  judgment- 
seat  in  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  power  :  yet  the 
prisoner  is  bold  and  at  ease,  while  the  judge  shrinks  and 
trembles  before  him.  What  is  the  cause  of  this  marvel- 
lously reversed  order  of  things  ?  the  mysterious  impulse 
that  thus  induces  them,  as  it  were,  to  change  places  ? 
that  gives  quiet  and  dignity  to  fetters,  and  thorns  and 
confusion  of  face  to  authority  ? 

"  The  answer  is  one  in  which  every  human  being  is 
concerned ;  and  which  has  operated  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world,  and  will  continue  to  operate  till  its 
consummation.  The  infinite  difference  of  their  past 
lives  :  the  influence  of  conscience  upon  their  hearts,  now 
equally  arraigning  them  before  her  still  loftier  tribunal, 
and  whispering  her  just  award  in  their  ears. 

"  When  Mr.  Addison  was  lying  on  his  death-bed, 
being  sensible,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  a  composure  that 
falls  to  the  lot  of  but  few  Christians  in  that  trying  hour, 
he  called  for  one  of  the  infidels  he  had  been  acquainted 
with,  that  he  might  read  a  lesson  to  him  in  the  holy  calm 
of  his  mind  ;  '  See,  (said  he)  how  a  Christian  can  die  !' 
The  language  of  St.  Paul  in  his  defence  on  the  present 
occasion,  is,  '  See  how  a  Christian  can  live  !' — and  live, 

*  Acts  xxiv.  26.  t  Acts  xxiv.  23. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  287 

too,  in  the  midst  of  calumny  and  oppression,  of  bondg 
and  the  sight  of  martyrdom.  '  This  (says  he)  I  confess 
unto  thee,  that  after  the  way  which  they  call  heresy,  so 
worship  I  the  God  of  my  fathers,  believing  all  things  that 
are  written  in  the  law  and  the  prophets.  And  have  hope 
towards  God,  which  they  themselves  also  allow,  that  there 
shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and 
unjust.  And  herein  do  I  exercise  myself,  to  have  always 
a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God  and  toward 
men.''* 

"  The  great  secret  is  here  disclosed  to  us  :  the  heroic 
feeling  is  fully  accounted  for ;  and  the  discipline  may  be 
practised  in  all  ages.  If  any  man  would  be  a  partaker 
of  the  joy  and  the  exultation  which  St.  Paul  manifests, 
and  which  raises  him  above  every  weight  of  affliction,  let 
him  live  his  life;  let  him  tread  in  his  footsteps;  let  him, 
too,  exercise  '  a  conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God 
and  toward  men ;'  let  him,  too,  exert  his  faith  in  '  all 
things  which  are  written  in  the  law  and  the  prophets  ;' 
let  him,  too,  '  worship  the  God  of  his  fathers  in  the  way' 
which  the  world  may  laugh  at  and  condemn, — and  he 
shall  reap  the  same  reward — he  shall  rise  to  the  same 
tone  of  triumph.  External  circumstances  will,  to  such  a 
man,  be  of  little  moment.  In  bonds  or  at  large,  in  evil 
report  "or  good  report,  in  life  or  in  death,  he  is  endowed 
with  a  buoyant  and  compensating  power,  that  renders  all 
earthly  things  indifferent  to  him.  '  The  peace  of  God, 
which  passcth  all  understanding,'  shall  still  surely  be  his, 
and  shall  still  '  keep  him  in  the  knowledge  and  the  love  of 
God.  And  the  blessing  of  God  Almighty,  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  still  be  with  him,  and 
remain  with  him  for  ever.'  On  such  a  man  what  hold 
can  persecution  take?  What  influence  can  the  flaming 
stake  have,  or  the  agonizing  cross  ?  He  will  glory  in 
tribulation,  he  will  sing  praises  in  torture,  and  will  ex- 
claim, with  St.  Paul,  on  another  occasion,  '  Yea,  and  if 
I  be  offered  upon  the  sacrifice  and  service  of  your  faith, 
I  joy  and  rejoice  with  you  all.'§ 

"  On  the  contrary,  of  what  advantage  is  wealth  or  sta- 
tion, or  official  authority,  to  him  whose  awakening  con- 

*  Acts  xxiv.  16.  t  Tliil.  ii.  17. 


288  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OF 

science  stirs  up  the  flames  of  hell  in  his  bosom  ?  and 
shows  on  what  a  pointed  spear  that  man  leans  who  rests 
his  heart  on  the  world  ?  Such  was  Felix  at  the  time  be- 
fore us.  His  conscience  had  never,  perhaps,  till  now 
been  stirred  up  at  all.  For,  however  tender  by  nature, 
and  watchful  in  the  discharge  of  its  duty,  it  may  be 
hardened  and  set  asleep  by  art.  Unhappily,  there  are 
narcotics  in  abundance,  and  far  more  dangerous  than 
those  of  pharmacy,  and  that  lie  within  the  reach  of  every 
one,  and  that  are  too  often  culled  by  every  one  that  can 
stupify  it,  as  it  appears  to  have  been  stupified  in  the  case 
before  us;  that  can  render  life  a  delirium,  and  put  a  lie 
in  the  right  hand  of  the  fool  who  thus  cheats  himself. 
Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  are  there  who  have 
thus  dragged  themselves  from  the  beginning  of  life  ; 
whose  conscience  has  never  once  awoke  ;  and  who  go 
on  with  the  besotted  dream  to  their  graves ;  and  then 
only  open  their  eyes  to  the  dread  reality  of  '  the  worm 
that  never  dieth,  and  the  fire  that  is  never  quenched.' 

"Happy  they,  O !  happy  above  all  men,  whose  con- 
science never  sleeps  ;  who  prize  its  warning  voice  ;  drink 
in  its  wholesome  monitions  ;  discipline  themselves  by  its 
precepts ;  and  sweep,  and  garnish,  and  sanctify  their 
hearts,  as  a  temple  for  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  next  to 
these  are  they  happy — and  happy,  too,  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  pangs  that  may  chastise  them,  the  cleansing  agony 
they  are  doomed  to  endure — whose  slumbering  conscience 
is,  at  length,  startled  in  the  midst  of  its  lethargy,  and 
urged  to  a  faithful  discharge  of  its  duty  ;  who,  in  the  noon 
and  sunshine  of  their  sinful  career,  are  stopped  short  by 
the  hand  of  Providence  ;  are  stung  with  a  feeling  of  their 
own  guilt  and  depravity  ;  and,  while  in  the  high  road  of 
profligacy  and  forgetfulness  of  God,  have  a  lesson  read 
to  them  '  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to 
come,'  that  makes  them  tremble.  It  is  a  season  of  mercy, 
it  is  a  call  to  repentance  ;  the  penance  may  be  sharp,  but 
it  leads  to  health  and  happiness ;  it  is  a  blessed  purga- 
tory, and  the  only  one  to  be  found  in  the  scriptures ;  the 
only  middle  state  of  torment,  that  can  save  from  hell,  and 
prove  preparatory  to  heaven. 

"  It  was  vouchsafed  to  Felix,  but,  like  millions  who 
have  been  favored  in  the  same  manner  since,  he  was 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  289 

found  a  coward  in  the  day  of  trial,  and  flinched  from  its 
searching  potency.  The  iron  entered  into  his  soul,  it 
touched  him  to  the  quickest  point  of  his  heart ;  all  his 
deeds  of  oppression,  extortion,  and  injustice,  arose  in 
fearful  vision  before  his  face ;  his  robbery  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan,  his  condemnation  of  the  innocent,  his 
rapacity  and  cruelty  toward  the  prisoner  who  was  then 
addressing  him,  and  who  he  felt  ought  to  be  as  free  as 
himself;  they  were  the  ghosts  of  his  past  crimes,  per- 
mitted to  haunt  him  (in  the  polluted  seat  of  justice,  and 
to  harrow  all  his  heart-strings.  '  And  as  Paul  reasoned 
of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judgment  to  come,  Fe- 
lix trembled.'  He  trembled,  but  he  did  nothing  more  ; 
he  trembled,  but  it  was  not  the  trembling  of  penitence  ; 
he  trembled,  but  he  lulled  the  panic  with  an  opiate  : 
'  Go  thy  way,'  said  he,  '  for  this  time,  and  when  I  have  a 
convenient  season,  I  will  send  for  thee.' 

"  It  is  thus  the  great  God  is  trifled  with  from  day  to 
day,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  grieved,  and  the  Redeemer  of 
the  world  crucified  afresh. — O  !  pause,  ye  whose  hearts 
are  conceiving  the  same  deadly  words — pause,  ere'  they 
proceed  from  your  lips.  They  may  be  the  last  words  ye 
may  ever  pronounce  :  the  bolt  of  avenging  justice  may 
overtake  you  while  uttering  them.  Or,  if  such  be  not 
the  case,  your  doom  may  still  be  as  certain ;  your  ever- 
lasting ruin  as  inevitable  ;  and  this,  too,  though  you 
should  live  to  the  age  of  Methuselah.  There  may  be  '  a 
convenient  season'  for  others,  but  to  you  it  may  never 
return.  He  who  breaks  it  oflT  when  once  offered  to  him, 
may  never  find  any  '  convenient  season'  afterwards.  It 
came  not  to  him  at  the  time  from  his  own  seeking ;  and 
it  may  never  again  be  vouchsafed  to  him  by  the  bounteous 
Spirit  that  sent  it.  The  day  of  grace  may  have  spent  its 
last  sands ;  and  the  only  season  that  remains,  and  that 
will  remain  for  ever,  may  be  a  season  of  hopelessness. 
The  heart  may  be  given  over  ;  the  caustic  that  was  meant 
to  produce  a  wholesome  smart  may  have  seared  it;  and 
the  blessing  be  turned  into  a  curse.  The  man  may  again, 
indeed,  hear  '  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and  judg- 
ment to  come' — but  he  may  hear  without  trembling — till 
the  judgment  to  come  overtakes  him,  and  his  trembling 
shall  be  for  ever." 
25 


290  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 


LET  US  NOW  GO  EVEN  UNTO  BETHLEHEM,  AND  SEE  THIS 
THING  WHICH  IS  COME  TO  PASS,  WHICH  THE  LORD 
HATH  MADE  KNOWN  UNTO  US.* 

Luke  ii.  15. 

"  It  is  now  nearly  two  thousand  years  since  the  great 
spectacle,  to  which  this  invitation  relates,  was  displayed 
in  the  sight  of  men  and  of  angels ;  a  spectacle,  beyond 
all  controversy,  the  first  in  power,  in  wisdom,  and  in  be- 
nevolence, that  has  ever  been  exhibited  on  the  theatre  of 
universal  being ;  and  which,  so  to  speak,  forms  the  mas- 
terpiece of  the  combined  attributes  of  the  Godhead. 
An*d  yet  how  many  millions  of  human  kind,  for  whose 
benefit  alone  it  has  been  performed,  have  passed  into  the 
world  and  out  of  it  without  ever  having  heard  thereof  by 
the  smallest  whisper.  And,  what  is  of  far  more  impor- 
tance to  ourselves,  how  many  millions  are  there  of  those 
who  not  only  hear  of  it,  but  to  whom  the  invitation  is 
from  year  to  year,  nay,  from  day  to  day,  expressly  ad- 
dressed, and  whose  everlasting  salvation  depends  upon 
their  compliance, — who  never  once  think  of  accepting 
it,  and  are  satisfied  with  the  invitation  alone ;  who  have 
the  bible  before  them,  but  suffer  it  to  remain  a  sealed 
book  ;  and  never  open,  even  its  first  page,  with  any  seri- 
ous desire  of  studying  its  subject-matter;  who  never  take 
a  single  step  in  the  road  to  Bethlehem,  to  examine  what 
God  hath  there  made  known  unto  us.  So  brutish  is  the 
heart  of  man,  so  dull  its  desire  after  heavenly  things,  so 
rooted  to  the  concerns  of  earth  ;  as  though,  like  the 
grass  on  which  we  tread,  he  could  only  grow  from  the 
ground.  So  intoxicated  is  he  with  his  temporal  interests 
— the  bubble  of  the  moment,  that  bursts  even  while  he 
is  grasping  it,  that  the  great  business  of  an  eternal  state 
is  forgotten  ;  or  rather,  sacrificed  at  the  shrine  of  the 
reigning  idol  of  the  hour.  The  gracious  errand  of  divine 
love  is  never  listened  to,  the  song  of  angels  is  unheard, 
and  the  stupendous  plan  of  redemption  is  suffered  to 
pass  by  as  a  pageant. 

*  Written  at  Christmas,  1825. 


DR.  MASON  GOOD. 

"  O,  the  long-suffering,  the  loving-kindness  of  an  of- 
fended God  ! — Truly,  '  thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  is  in  the 
heavens,  thy  faithfulness  reacheth  unto  the  clouds !' 
And,  hence  alone  is  it  that,  instead  of  a  deluge  of  water, 
like  that  which  formerly  destroyed  the  world,  or  a  con- 
suming fire,  like  that  which  is  in  reserve  for  it  hereafter, 
the  same  gracious  message  is  still  repeated  to  us  down  to 
the  present  hour  ;  and  we  are  still,  and  especially  as  on 
this  returning  festival  of  the  Saviour's  nativity,  invited 
to  '  go  even  now  unto  Bethlehem,  and  see  the  thing  which 
is  come  to  pass,  which  the  Lord  hath  made  known  unto 
us.'  Let  us,  then,  now,  EVEN  NOW,  if  never  before,  fol- 
low the  footsteps  of  the  heavenly  host,  the  track  in  which 
their  holy  harpirigs  guide  us  ;  let^us  catch  the  sweet  carol 
of  their  accordant  tongues,  '  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
and  on  earth  peace,  good-will  towards  men.' 

"  And  what  does  Bethlehem  unfold  to  us?  The  eye 
of  sense  perceives  nothing  but  a  stable,  a  mother  of 
humble  station,  and  a  swaddled  babe  lying  in  a  manger. 
Yet  this  is  the  sight  to  which  we  are  directed  ;  this  is 
the  spectacle  on  which  heaven  is  looking  down  with  in- 
tense eagerness ;  this  the  grand  event  for  which  time  has 
been  travelling  onward,  and  in  which  all  the  prophecies 
and  the  promises  of  God  are  concentrated.  It  is  the  babe 
lying  in  a  manger.  O  parodox  of  men,  and  of  angels  ! 
O  stupendous  miracle  of  seeming  contradictions !  '  O 
the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge of  God  !  how  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and 
his  ways  past  finding  out !"  That  manger  cradles  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  ;  that  feeble  babe  is  '  the 
mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace!' 
What  a  prodigy,  and  what  a  scene  for  its  developement ! 
When  man  was  made  of  the  dust  of  the  earth,  a  para- 
dise was  prepared  for  his  reception  ;  and  all  creation  put 
on  its  richest  livery.  When  the  Son  of  God  is  made 
man,  and  descends  from  heaven  upon  the  gracious  errand 
of  man's  eternal  salvation,  he  hath  riot  where  to  lay  his 
head,  and  is  consigned  to  '  a  manger  because  there  is  no 
room  for  him  in  the  inn.' 

"  WHAT  A  LESSON  OF  HUMILITY  is  HERE  READ  TO  us  ! 
It  is  not  with  the  great,  or  the  mighty,  or  the  noble, 
that  the  Saviour  of  the  world  condescends  to  take  up  his 


292  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

abode  ;  to  be  clothed  in  scarlet  and  fine  linen,  and  to  fare 
sumptuously  every  day.  It  is  not  in  the  courts,  or  the 
palaces,  or  even  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  that  he  chooses 
to  make  his  blessed  entrance  into  the  world.  But,  tramp- 
ling, as  it  were,  upon  all  that  man  calls  great  and  mag- 
nificent ;  making  an  open  mock  of  the  pomp,  and  the 
pride,  and  the  vain  glory  of  life,  he  vouchsafes  to  dignify 
the  walk  of  the  lowly  with  his  presence,  'to  fill  the 
hungry  with  good  things,  while  the  rich  are  sent  empty 
away  :'  to  be  born  in  a  stable,  instead  of  under  a  cano- 
py ;  in  Bethlehem,  the  city  of  David,  '  though  little  among 
the  thousands  of  Judah,'*  rather  than  in  the  capital  of 
the  Jewish  monarchy,  the  citadel  of  its  strength. 

"  And,  as  was  the  opening,  so,  too,  was  the  progress 
of  his  career.  '  Not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not 
many  mighty,  not  many  noble,  were  called  ;'t  but  it  was 
the  poor  who  had  the  Gospel  chiefly  preached  unto  them  ; 
and  the  halt,  and  the  deaf,  and  the  dumb,  and  the  blind, 
who  were  selected  to  be  the  principal  heralds  of  the 
Redeemer's  praise.  Where,  then,  is  boasting  under  the 
Gospel  1  It  is  utterly  excluded,  it  is  anathematized,  it  is 
proscribed  by  every  step  of  our  divine  Master's  progress, 
from  his  mysterious  entrance  into  life  to  his  awful  exit; 
from  the  manger  at  Bethlehem,  to  the  cross  at  Calvary. 

"  And  as  he  hallowed  the  path  of  humility,  so  did  he 
that  of  affliction.  It  was  his  daily  trial  to  '  endure  the 
contradiction  of  sinners  ;'  his  '  visage  was  marred  more 
than  any  man's ;  he  bore  our  griefs,  and  carried  our 
sorrows;  was  wounded  for  our  transgression,  and  bruised 
for  our  iniquities  ;'  and,  '  was  made  perfect  through  suf- 
fering.' 

"  What  a  lesson  of  human  wisdom  is  here  read  to 
us!  Let  philosophy  look  on,  and  blush  at  its  own  con- 
ceits. How  little  has  man's  understanding  been  able,  at 
any  time,  to  fathom  the  nature  and  the  attributes  of  the 
Deity,  or  to  dive  into  his  mysterious  councils !  Every  age 
and  nation  have  had  their  successive  mythologies  and 
theologies,  their  creeds  for  the  vulgar  and  their  creeds 
for  the  learned.  Egypt,  India,  Persia,  and  Greece,  have 
vied  with  each  other  in  their  respective  fancies.  And} 

*Mic.v.  2.  flCor.i.  28. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  293 

as  though  for  the  express  purpose  of  shewing  us  the  utter 
vanity  of  aH  the  natural  powers  of  the  human  mind,  when 
pressed  to  their  utmost  stretch  of  elaborate  cultivation, 
the  experiment  was  permitted  to  be  carried  on  among 
these  nations  in  succession,  through  a  period  of  little 
less  than  four  thousand  years.  And  what,  in  every  in- 
stance, was  the  result? — Shadows  instead  of  realities ; 
visionary  conjectures  instead  of  substantial  truths : 

No  light,  but  rather  darkness  visible. 

"  And  then,  and  not  till  then,  '  after  that,  in  the  wisdom 
of  God,  the  world  by  wisdom,'  was  thus  proved  to  'know 
not  God,  it  pleased  God,'  by  what  the  world  called  '  the 
foolishness  of  preaching,'  thus  retorting  its  own  terms 
upon  itself,  by  the  great  scheme  of  redemption,  by  the 
revelation  of  his  own  Son  from  heaven,  to  illuminate  the 
darkness  of  nature,  and  '  to  save  them  that  believe.' 

"  Where,  then,  is  the  wise  ?  Where  is  the  disputer  of 
this  world  ?  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the 
world  (foolish  in  the  world's  own  conceit)  to  confound 
the  wise ;  yea,  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty  ;  and  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  hath 
God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  nbt,  to  bring  to 
nought  things  that  are,  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his 
presence.'* 

"  Such  was  the  glowing  and  triumphant  language  of 
St.  Paul,  in  his  day,  to  the  Jews,  who  were  still  requiring 
signs,  and  to  the  Greeks,  who  were  still  seeking  after 
worldly  wisdom.  '  But  we,'  says  he,  '  preach  Christ 
crucified  ;  unto  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto 
the  Greeks  foolishness ;  but,  unto  them  that  are  called, 
Christ,  the  power  of  God,  and  the  wisdom  of  God.'t 

"  The  triumphant  language  of  the  apostle  has  been 
fulfilled  ;  his  prophetic  vision  has  been  realized  ;  and 
Christ  has  proved  most  marvellously  the  power  and  the 
widom  of  God  in  every  age  of  the  world  since  his  own 
era.  Yet  how  incorrigible  is  the  heart  of  man  when 
perverted  !  how  obstinate  in  its  errors  !  how  blind  to  the 
noon-day,  *  the  light  from  heaven,  above  the  brightness 

*  1  Cor.  i.  20, 27, 28, 29.  t  Id.  i.  22,  23. 

*25 


294  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

of  the  sun,'  that  shines  around  it ! — if  the  question  be 
still  asked,  'Where  is  the  disputer  of  this  world?'  — 
Thousands  will,  even  to  the  present  hour,  hold  up  their 
hands  unabashed,  and  proudly  accept  the  Scripture  chal- 
lenge. They  go  to  Bethlehem,  indeed,  but  they  return 
as  they  go  there:  no  heavenly  music  has  sounded  in  their 
ears ;  they  have  seen  neither  angel  nor  Saviour ;  they 
went  not  to  worship,  and  will  not  believe.  '  The  thing 
which  has  come  to  pass,'  and  which  the  Lord  hath  made 
known  to  mankind  at  large,  they  regard,  not  as  matter 
of  implicit  faith  and  holy  wonder,  but  as  matter  for  the 
tribunal  of  their  own  reason.  With  insufferable  arrogance 
they  arraign  the  Godhead  before  its  impotent  bar ;  they 
measure  the  plan  of  infinite  wisdom,  the  energy  of  Al- 
mighty power,  the  great  mystery  of  godliness,  by  their 
own  standard  ;  and  convict  the  cause  of  falsehood  or  of 
error  upon  the  sole  ground  that  reason  cannot  comprehend 
it.  And  hence,  as  in  the  time  of  the  apostles,  to  some 
it  is,  in  many  parts,  a  stumbling  block,  to  others  alto- 
gether foolishness  ;  some,  sitting  in  the  seat  of  the  scorner, 
would  summarily  enter  a  general  verdict  of  imposture  : 
while  more,  perhaps,  not  far  off,  though  openly  condemn- 
ing one  half,  are  yet  ready  enough,  with  an  affectation  of 
liberality,  to  acquit  the  remainder,  on  being  allowed  to 
put  their  own  corrections  into  the  inspired  text. — Merci- 
ful God !  great,  indeed,  was  thy  long-suffering  that  waited 
in  the  days  of  Noah!  but  how  much  greater  is  that  which 
waiteth  in  our  own  day,  overpowered  as  it  is  in  such  a 
diversity  of  ways  with  '  the  profane  and  vain  babblings, 
and  oppositions  of  science  falsely  so  called  !'* 

"  Let,  then,  the  world  go  where  it  may, — let  us.  go 
even  unto  Bethlehem.  What  a  lesson  is  there  read  to 
us  on  the  evil  of  sin  !  In  the  dealings  of  God's  provi- 
dence there  is  no  waste,  and  as  little  in  the  dealings  of 
his  grace.  A  masterly  economy,  an  exact  adjustment  of 
cause  to  effect,  is  a  striking  characteristic  in  both.  And 
hence,  if  the  wickedness  of  the  world  could  have  been 
expiated  at  a  less  price  than  the  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of 
God,  never  would  lie  have  left  the  throne  of  his  glory  to 
become  "  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief." 

*  1  Tim.  vi.  20. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 

And  what  can  more  forcibly  demonstrate  to  us  the  in- 
trinsic enormity  of  sin,  of  sin  of  every  kind,  the  utter 
abhorrence  with  which  God  beholds  it  in  all  its  incalcu- 
lable ramifications,  its  essential  repugnancy  to  the  purity 
and  holiness  of  his  own  nature,  than  the  stupendous 
cost  of  its  atonement.  Though  armed  with  almighty 
power,  God  has  not  the  power  to  forgive  sin  uncondition- 
ally ;  though  his  mercy  is  infinite,  not  a  pang  due  to 
mankind  could  be  remitted  to  the  Son  of  his  love  :  though 
Christ  was  God,  and  '  thought  it  no  arrogancy  to  be  equal 
with  God,'  the  severe  penalty  demanded  for  human  trans- 
gression was  that  of  making  himself  of  no  reputation,  of 
divesting  or  '  empty  ing  himself1  of  his  glory,  as  the  pas- 
sage has  been  more  correctly  rendered  ;  of  humbling 
himself  to  the  fashion  of  a  man,  nay,  to  '  the  form  of  a 
servant,'  '  despised  and  rejected  of  men  ;'  and  of  becom- 
ing '  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.' 
O  wonderful  concentration  of  harmonizing  inconsisten- 
cies !  God  becomes  man  ;  the  Everlasting  Father  a  feeble 
babe ;  Essential  Holiness  a  sin-offering ;  the  inexhausti- 
ble Fount  of  all  blessing  and  happiness  is  made  a  curse  : 
'  Without  controversy,  great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness,' 
infinite  the  evil  of  sin. 

"  Let  us  go  also  to  Bethlehem,  and  there  read  a  lesson 
of  love  :  of  the  love  which  God  has  so  stupendously  mani- 
fested to  man ;  and  the  love  which  man  ought  to  feel  to- 
wards God.  '  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this,  that  a 
man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends  :*  but  God  com- 
mendeth  his  love  towards  us  in  that,  while  we  were  yet 
enemies,  Christ  died  for  us.'t 

"  It  was  love,  infinite,  exuberant  love,  that  planned, 
from  all  eternity,  the  blessed  scheme  of  man's  redemp- 
tion. Before  guilt  was  contracted,  or  man  was  in  being, 
salvation  was  provided  for  him  ;  the  atonement  was  ready 
before  sin  was  committed.  'Lo,  I  come  !'  said  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  ;  and  in  the  volume  of  the  book  of 
heaven  the  engagement  was  recorded  from  the  begin- 
ning :  '  Lo,  I  come  to  do  thy  will,  O  God  !' 

"  And  through  the  whole  accomplishment  of  this  will, 
love  alone  was  the  ruling  principle.  Every  step  was 

*  John  xv.  13.  f  Rom.  v.  8. 


296  RELIGIOUS  CHARACTER  OF 

marked  with  it,  every  action  testified  it,  and  every  word 
sealed  it.  His  miracles  were  all  love,  inexhaustible, 
overflowing  love  :  the  most  aggravating  provocation  could 
never  turn  the  sweet  current,  nor  rouse  its  gentle  surface 
into  a  ripple.  Instead  of  commanding  fire  from  heaven 
upon  his  enemies,  he  breathed  forth  his  blessing  on  them 
that  cursed  him,  and  prayed  for  them  that  despitefully 
used  him  and  persecuted  him  ;  and  died  on  the  cross 
with  the  touching  benediction  of,  '  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do  !' 

"But,  O,  the  tenderness,  the  sweet  and  overwhelming 
endearment,  the  friendship  and  affection  beyond  that  of 
a  brother,  which  he  poured  forth  to  his  disciples  in  the 
scenes  of  privacy  and  blessed  confidence.  When  he 
weeps  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  who  can  help  weeping 
with  him?  When  delivering  his  last  address  to  his  be- 
loved eleven — how  melancholy  that  one  should  have  fallen 
off  from  the  original  number  !  there  was  love  in  that 
emergency,  O  Iscariot,  even  for  thee,  hadst  thou,  then, 
like  the  overtaken,  but  soon  subdued  and  penitent  Peter, 
gone  'out,  and  wept  bitterly.'  Who  can  hear  his  touching 
address  without  melting  ?  what  heart  but  is  all  attention 
to  catch  every  word  as  it  drops  from  his  gracious  lips  ! 
what  distress,  but  what  comfort  does  he  set  before  thee  ! 
how  completely  are  his  own  sufferings  forgotten  and  swal- 
lowed up  in  the  agony  that  oppresses  the  faithful  few 
around  him.  He  sees  them  terrified,  overpowered,  brok- 
en-hearted ;  he  beholds  the  tearful  eye,  and  the  bursting 
bosom,  and  the  speechless  silence.  And,  O!  what  a  cup 
of  cordial  does  he  provide  for  them  !  never  was  so  conso- 
latory a  farewell  uttered,  so  rich  a  legacy  bequeathed. 
'Peace  I  leave  with  you :  my  peace  I  give  unto  you.  Not 
as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid.' 

"  And  what  our  divine  Master  said  unto  his  disciples 
at  that  time,  he  says  to  his  disciples  still,  and  will  say  to 
them  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Let  us,  then,  go  to  Beth- 
lehem ;  let  us  see  this  thing  which  has  now,  more  especial- 
ly, come  to  pass;  which  is,  at  length,  fully  consummated. 
Let  us  learn  the  lesson  of  love  which  it  so  impressively 
sets  before  us.  Let  love  beget  love  ;  the  love  of  God 
call  forth  the  love  of  man  ; — love  supreme,  uninterrupted, 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  297 

overflowing,  to  him  who  first  loved  us  ;  and  love  free, 
unlimited,  and  universal  to  our  fellow  mortals.  '  By  this 
shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  love 
one  another.' 

"  Let  us  go,  then,  to  Bethlehem  ;  let  us  begin  with 
the  Saviour  if  we  would  end  with  him.  Let  us  go  even 
to  Bethlehem,  but  let  us  not  take  up  our  final  abode 
there.  Let  us  follow  the  footsteps  of  our  Redeemer  from 
Bethlehem  to  Calvary,  from  Calvary  to  mount  Olivet ; 
from  his  humiliation  to  his  exaltation  ;  from  his  cross  to 
his  crown.  Let  us  follow  him  from  his  first  advent  to  his 
second  ;  from  the  manger  to  '  the  regeneration,  when  the 
Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  glory.'  Yes  ; 
to  Bethlehem  let  us  go;  but  let  us  catch  the  angelic  carol 
of  this  holy  season,  and  employ  it  as  a  chant  for  every 
day  of  our  lives.  He  who  thus  unites  with  the  multitude 
of  the  heavenly  host,  while  here  below,  in  singing  '  Glory 
to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace,  good  will  to- 
wards men,'  may  humbly  hope  he  is  in  the  right  way  to 
unite,  ere  long,  in  the  realms  above  with  the  far  greater 
chorus,  the  multitude  that  no  man  can  number,  in  strik- 
ing to  a  still  higher,  and  more  triumphant  note,  their 
own  favorite  anthem,  that  new  song  which  shall  never 
cease  to  be  new  throughout  the  countless  ages  of  eternity, 
'  Worthy  is  the  lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power, 
and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and 
glory,  and  blessing ; — for  he  hath  redeemed  us  to  God  by 
his  blood,  out  of  every  kindred,  and  people,  and  nation, 
and  tongue. — Hallelujah  !  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 
reigneth.' " 


Besides  the  "Occasional  Thoughts"  thus  quoted,  there 
are  others  equally  instructive  and  impressive,  on  the 
texts  1  John  v.  4,  Job  xxviii. '2,  1  Sam.  xxv.  1,  and  Matt, 
xi.  5.  In  conformity  with  Dr.  Good's  usual  habits  of 
order,  he  entered  upon  a  slip  of  paper,  the  texts  which 
seem  to  have  been  regarded  as  most  suited  for  these  short 
but  interesting  trains  of  reflection,  drawing  a  line  down- 
ward across  the  passages  on  which  he  had  been  able  to 
pursue  on  paper  the  entire  course  of  his  meditations. 
From  this  memorandum  it  appears  that  he  had  intended 


298  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OP 

writing  on  four  more  topics ;  and  from  their  order  and 
nature  I  cannot  but  imagine  that  with  them  he  meant  to 
terminate  the  series ;  or,  indeed,  considering  his  antici- 
pations of  death,  as  evinced  by  his  letters,  I  cannot  but 
conclude,  that  he  thought  his  life  and  the  series  would 
close  nearly  together.  The  subjects  were, — 

"  The  winds  of  doctrine."     Eph.  iv.  14. 

"  They  took  knowledge  of  them  that  they  had  been 
with  Jesus."  Acts  iv.  13. 

"  Awake  and  sing,  ye  that  dwell  in  the  dust ;  for  thy 
dew  is  as  the  dew  of  herbs ;  and  the  earth  shall  cast  out 
the  dead."  Isaiah  xxvi.  19. 

"  One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I 
see."  John.  ix.  25. 

And  truly  one  may  well  be  filled  with  delight  and  as- 
tonishment at  the  radical  and  permanent  change  thus 
strikingly  accomplished,  and  more  and  more  manifested 
unto  the  end  of  his  course.  Meditating  upon  the  eager- 
nesst  with  which  for  years  he  pursued  the  phantom  fame, 
and  upon  the  insatiable  nature  of  human  desires ;  recol- 
lecting that,  if  a  covetuous  man  could  fill  his  stores  with 
gold,  he  would  not  therefore  fill  his  heart ;  that  if  the 
ambitious  man  could  acquire  more  titles  than  he  could 
enumerate,  he  would  not  thereby  sate  his  ambition  ;  that 
if  the  man  athirst  after  human  learning  were  to  accumu- 
late a  library  unequalled  in  extent  and  variety,  he  would 
still  pant  for  more  knowledge,  and  eagerly  aim  at  facilities 
in  its  pursuit ;  that  though  a  man  of  scientific  research 
were  to  waste  his  strength  and  exhaust  his  spirits,  yet 
the  cravings  of  his  curiosity  would  not  be  diminished,  nor 
the  agitations  of  his  soul  cease  ;  that  the  varied  pursuits 
of  man,  and  the  absorption  to  which  they  lead,  by  a  thick 
veil  of  intellectual  conceits,  too  often  intercept  the  view 
of  eternal  objects  ; — still  we  have  here  the  most  cogent 
proof  that  there  is  no  insurmountable  barrier  to  purposes 
of  Divine  mercy  ;  that  the  flashes  of  immortality,  when- 
ever God  pleases,  are  all  searching  and  penetrating,  and 
what  is  otherwise  most  powerful  sinks  into  nothing  com- 
pared with  the  irresistible  energy  with  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  prepares  his  own  way  into  the  heart  of  man,  and 
transforms  that  heart  into  a  living  temple  for  himself. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  299 

These  are  the  considerations  which  will  give,  I  hope, 
to  the  preceding  developement  of  religious  character,  an 
interest,  notwithstanding  its  many  imperfections;  and 
which  have  principally  weighed  with  me  in  attempting 
the  delineation. 

I  need  not  now  occupy  the  time  of  the  reader  by  en- 
larging upon  the  manner  in  which  Dr.  Good  discharged 
the  offices  of  friendship  or  of  domestic  society  ;  or  by 
relating  instances  in  proof  of  his  self-denying  kindness 
to  the  poor,  his  disinterested  benevolence,  his  ever  ready 
and  sincere  sympathy  with  the  afflicted.  He  had  for 
some  years  studied  in  the  school,  where  the  lesson  is  re- 
iterated, to  "  rejoice  with  them  that  do  rejoice,  and  weep 
with  them  that  weep  ;"  and  it  was  his  daily  care  to  the 
very  close  of  life  to  exemplify  that  lesson.  I  may,  how- 
ever, adduce  an  affecting  illustration  of  this,  by  inserting 
the  last  letter  which  he  ever  wrote.  It  was  addressed  to 

a  pious  lady,  the  wife  of  a  clergyman  in ,  who, 

under  apprehension  of  a  cancerous  affection,  had  written 
to  him. 

"  Guilford  Street,  Dec.  21,  1826. 

"  My  dear  Mrs.  H , 

"  Your  very  excellent  and  impressive  letter  has  deeply 
interested  us  in  everything  that  relates  to  you,  though  I 
assure  you  we  did  not  stand  in  need  of  any  circumstance 
so  afflictive,  to  associate  our  feelings  in  your  welfare. 
We  had  heard,  in  a  loose  way,  of  the  fears  you  were 
entertaining,  and  we  had  already  sympathized  with  you  j 
but  the  rumor  having  appeared  to  die  away,  we  were  in 

hope  it  was  without   foundation.     I  am  sure  Mr.  C 

has  given  you  the  best  advice — that,  I  mean,  of  corning 
to  town,  and  obtaining  the  best  professional  opinion  and 
assistance  you  can  ; — and  I  have  only  to  add  hereto,  that 
I  think  you  should  come  without  delay.  It  is  possible 
that,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  means  may  at  present  be 
devised  for  eradicating  the  disorder  without  any  painful 
operation  ;  for  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  complaint,  what- 
ever it  may  terminate  in  when  confirmed,  is  at  present 
only  in  such  a  state  as  to  render  it  doubtful  what  name  to 
give  the  tumor.  But  by  all  means,  and  let  the  event  prove 
what  it  may,  give  Mr.  Abernethy,  or  whomsoever  you 


300  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

may  consult,  (and  you  cannot  consult  a  more  skilful  man 
than  himself)  an  opportunity  of  trying  his  own  powers, 
and  choosing  his  own  time,  for  whatever  may  be  judged 
requisite. 

"  You  write  under  the  guidance  of  so  blessed  a  spirit, 
and  with  feelings  so  dear  to  every  good  and  pious  heart, 
that,  let  the  result  be  what  it  may,  there  can  be  no  ques- 
tion that  you  will  ultimately  have  to  rejoice  in  the  tribu- 
lation;  and  look  upon  it  as  sent  in  kindness  by  Him, 
who  never  afflicts  willingly,  nor  grieves  '  the  children  of 
men  ;'  and  allow  me  to  add,  that  an  example  like  this 
which  you  are  permitted  to  afford  in  suffering,  and  in 
meekness  of  resignation,  cannot  fail  of  having  a  com- 
manding influence  on  the  world  at  large.  '  See  how 
these  Christians  suffer !'  is,  thank  God,  an  exclamation 
that  may  occasionally  be  heard  in  the  present  day,  as 
well  as  in  former  times  ;  and  it  has  already  struck  deeply 
home  into  our  own  hearts. 

"But  the  chief  cause  of  my  writing  is,  to  offer  you,  on 
the  present  occasion,  in  my  own  name  and  that  of  my 
dear  wife,  every  facility  that  our  house  will  afford  :  come 
to  us  without  loss  of  time,  and  so  far  as  my  professional 
influence  may  extend  among  my  brethren,  or  the  offices 
of  friendship  may  be  of  any  avail,  you  shall  readily  com- 
mand them.  I  assure  you,  we  feel  also  very  deeply  for 

Mr.  H ,  as  I  trust  he  will  perceive,  when  he  comes 

to  town.  But  I  must  leave  Mrs.  Good  to  add  her  own 
request  to  mine,  upon  this  important  subject,  and  I  trust 
our  conjoint  entreaty  will  not  be  in  vain. — With  kindest 

regards  to  Mr.  H ,  believe  me, 

"  My  dear  Madam, 

"  Ever  faithfully  yours, 

"  J.  M.  GOOD." 

The  sympathy  thus  affectionately  offered,  was  never 
administered  :  for,  only  two  days  after  Dr.  Good  had 
written  this  letter,  he  left  home,  as  I  have  already  men- 
tioned, to  visit  his  daughter  and  her  children,  at  Shepper- 
ton ;  and  before  the  reply,  though  transmitted  without 
delay,  reached  him,  he  was  so  seriously  ill,  as  to  render 
its  being  read  to  him  altogether  inexpedient.  Having, 
in  the  passage  to  which  I  have  just  referred,  spoken  of 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  301 

the  severe  indisposition  which  so  rapidly  terminated  in 
his  death,  it  now  remains  for  me  to  enable  the  reader  to 
judge  of  his  state  of  mind,  and  of  the  divine  supports 
\vliich  he  experienced  at  that  awful  and  affecting  season  : 
this  I  shall  do  by  extracting  largely  from  a  letter,  trans- 
mitted at  my  request,  by  those  members  of  his  family, 
whose  affection,  ever  watchful,  soothed  him  most  in  the 
time  of  his  last  and  greatest  extremity. 

"  Dear  Sir, 

"  Since  you  desire  to  record  with  sacred  care,  a  correct 
statement  of  the  faith  and  feelings  of  your  departed 
friend,  during  the  solemn  closing  scene  of  his  earthly  pil- 
grimage ;  the  following  memoranda  are,  in  compliance 
with  your  request,  forwarded  to  you  for  this  purpose. 
These  short  notes  were  written  by  individuals  of  the 
family,  a  very  few  days  after  the  death  of  their  greatly 
loved  relative.  If  affection  should  tempt  them  to  be  too 
minute,  and  to  transgress  the  limits  which  less  interested 
spectators  would  have  assigned  to  themselves  in  describ- 
ing such  a  scene,  it  will  be  forgiven  by  those  who  are 
already  deriving  peace,  and  more  than  peace — -joy,  in 
the  assurance,  that  '  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is 
the  death  of  His  saints/ 

"  Had  you,  my  dear  Sir,  been  in  the  dying  chamber  of 
the  friend  whom  you  so  much  valued,  and  who  returned 
your  friendship  with  unvarying  affection  and  esteem 
through  so  long  a  period  of  years,  you  would  have  joined 
with  his  family  in  adopting  the  language  of  the  Rev.  John 
Scott,  upon  a  similar  occasion,  when  he  says,  '  We  feel 
we  have  had  a  grand  and  most  edifying  Christian  spec- 
tacle proposed  to  us.'  And  you  would  dwell  with  par- 
ticular delight  upon  the  apology  offered  by  Hooker,  for 
minuteness  in  the  detail  of  scenes  like  these.  '  The  Lord 
himself  hath  not  disdained  so  exactly  to  register  in  the 
Book  of  Life,  after  what  sort  his  servants  have  closed  up 
their  days  on  earth,  that  he  descendeth  even  to  their  very 
meanest  actions  ; — their  cries,  their  groans,  their  pant- 
ings,  breathings,  and  last  gaspings,  he  hath  most  so- 
lemnly commended  to  the  memory  of  all  generations. 
And  shall  it  seem  unto  us  superfluous,  at  such  times  as 
26 


302  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

these  are,  to  hear  in  what  manner  they  have  ended  their 
lives  V 

"  You  have,  dear  Sir,  already  alluded  to  your  friend's 
ill  state  of  health,  previous  to  his  journey  to  Leamington, 
and  to  his  unavoidably  delayed  visit  to  Shepperton,  about 
two  months  afterwards.  In  this  retirement,  he  was 
accustomed  occasionally  to  relinquish,  for  a  short  time, 
his  professional  studies,  and  to  unbend  his  mind  in  the 
midst  of  his  family  and  friends.  The  memoranda  you 
requested,  state,  that  on  the  23d  of  December  he  set  out 
on  his  journey  thither.  Mrs.  Good  having  left  him  as 
usual  after  the  breakfast  hour,  till  the  time  appointed  for 
leaving  home,  observed,  as  he  got  into  the  carriage,  that 
he  looked  extremely  ill  ;  and  stated  her  full  belief  that  he 
w-as  unable  to  bear  the  ride  ;  he  would  not,  however,  con- 
sent to  the  postponement  of  his  visit,  and  proceeded  on  to 
Piccadilly,  where,  with  great  exertion,  he  paid  a  medical 
visit.  On  continuing  their  journey,  Mrs.  G.  observed 
that  the  exercise  produced  great  pain,  and  urged  him  to 
return  ;  again  he  declined  complying  with  her  request, 
stating  the  extreme  disappointment  and  anxiety  it  would 
cause  his  daughters,  the  youngest  being  then  on  a  visit 
to  her  sister.  They,  therefore,  proceeded  slowly,  and 
reached  Shepperton  an  hour  and  a  half  after  the  ap- 
pointed time.  His  children  were  much  grieved  to  notice 
the  alteration  in  his  countenance  and  manner  :  but  he 
assured  them  that  what  he  felt  was  the  effect  of  the  ride, 
and  would  be  removed  in  a  few  days ;  and  endeavored, 
with  his  usual  cheerfulness,  to  join  the  family  in  the 
dining-room,  only  resting  on  a  sofa.  He  rallied  for  a  few 
minutes  after  dinner,  and  calling  his  grandchildren  to 
him,  gave  to  each  the  little  books  which  he  had  selected 
for  them,  and  in  some  of  which  he  had  made  for  his 
grandson  interlineations,  by  way  of  explanation  of  some 
simple  philosophical  experiments  ;  while  in  others  were 
passages  carefully  erased  with  his  own  hand,  as  contain- 
ing expressions  or  principles  which  he  disapproved  : 
these  were  his  last  gifts.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was 
obliged  to  remove  to  a  room  adjoining  his  sleeping  cham- 
ber, so  soon  to  become  the  chamber  of  death. 

"  On  the  same  evening,  the  attendance  of  his  friend 
Mr.  Cooper  was  requested  ;  he,  at  that  time,  being  at  his 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  303 

country  house,  in  the  same  village  ;  and  it  was  a  cause  of 
peculiar  thankfulness  to  Dr.  Good  and  his  family,  in  this 
season  of  affliction,  that  Mr.  Cooper  was  so  near.* 

"•From  Sunday,  Dec.  24th,  to  Thursday,  Dec.  28th, 
Dr.  Good  continued,  though  with  daily  increasing  diffi- 
culty, to  be  moved  on  a  sofa  in  the  room  adjoining.  Fre- 
quent doses  of  opium  were  even  then  obliged  to  be 
administered ;  they  produced  occasional  confusion  of 
thought,  which  he  was  fully  aware  of,  and  recalled  him- 
self, saying,  '  O,  this  opium,  it  distresses  me  ;  I  cannot 
separate  imagination  from  reality ;  but  I  must  be  quiet.' 
The  fear  of  committing  himself,  or  speaking  incoherently, 
not  only  at  this  time,  but  even  in  a  much  later  period  of 
his  illness,  Dr.  Good's  family  and  friends  were  consoled 
by  remarking;  because  it  gave  the  full  weight  to  all  his 
deliberate  statements  of  his  own  views  or  feelings,  which 
such  statements  would  have  deserved  had  they  been  de- 
livered while  in  possession  of  entire  health  and  vigor  of 
mind.  What  regard  was  due  to  them  may  be  judged  by 
the  consultation  held  with  Mr.  Cooper,  already  alluded 
to — and  many  pthers  which  may  be  noticed  in  these  me- 
moranda. Notwithstanding,  however,  his  extreme  suf- 
fering, he  entertained  not  the  smallest  idea  of  immediate 
danger,  and  fully  believed  the  present  attack  would  pass 
off.  It  was  at  this  period  he  said  to  Mrs.  Good,  '  You 
know  my  views  have  been  for  some  years  past  materially 
changed.  I  have  been  now  doctrinally  right,  but  practi- 
cally wrong.'  The  nurse,  who  at  this  time  sat  up  with 
him,  says  that  great  part  of  the  night  was  spent  in  prayer  : 

*  "  In  a  later  period  of  his  illness,  they  were  much  indebted  to  the 
prompt  and  kind  attendance,  first  of  Dr.  Cooper,  with  whom  Dr.  Good 
was  formerly  connected  in  some  literary  work,  and  afterwards  of  Mr.  B. 
Travers,  his  colleague  in  a  public  office.  Both  these  gentlemen  afforded 
with  the  utmost  kindness  their  friendly  assistance,  though  they  had  twenty 
miles  to  travel  for  this  purpose.  Mr.  Ives,  of  Chertsey,  had  long  before 
this  offered  his  kind  and  constant  attendance,  which  had  been  gladly 
accepted.  To  none  of  these  attentions  was  Dr.  Good  insensible  ;  he  grate- 
fully felt  them ;  but  especially  was  he  deeply  indebted  to  his  friend  Mr. 
Cooper  for  his  skill,  his  unremitting  watchfulness,  and  unwearied  kindness 
to  himself  and  family.  From  the  period  in  which  Dr.  Good  became 
materially  worse  till  alter  his  death,  Mr.  Cooper  never  quitted  him,  except 
for  a  very  short  time  to  give  some  needed  directions  in  his  own  house  ;  he 
slept  on  a  sofa  in  the  room  which  opened  into  his  friend's  dying  chamber, 
and  with  the  most  tender  sympathy  administered  with  his  own  hands  all 
the  palliations  his  skill  could  suggest." 


304  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER   OP 

sometimes,  however,  he  spoke  to  her,  exhorting  her  not  to 
delay  the  consideration  of  religion.  Unwilling  to  grieve 
his  family  by  any  expression  of  the  agony  he  endured, 
his  very  delirium  served  to  show  his  kindness;  as  he 
then  generally  talked  of  being  well,  and  begged  those 
around  him  not  to  concern  themselves  so  much. 

"  The  wonderful  ebb  and  flow  of  reason,  the  aberra- 
tion of  mind  at  some  seasons,  succeeded  by  a  complete 
self-collectedness  and  full  possession  of  his  reasoning 
powers  at  others,  can  scarcely  be  conceived  by  those  who 
were  not  eye-witnesses  of  the  fact. 

"Like  many  other  individuals,  he  often  manifested 
'  the  ruling  'passion1  during  his  last  illness.  After  he  was 
entirely  confined  to  his  bed,  and  whilst  suffering  great 
pain,  he  desired  one  of  his  daughters  to  prepare  him  a 
mixture,  using  the  chemical  terms  for  the  different  in- 
gredients:  she  replied,  'Dear  Papa,  you  must  be  more 
plain  in  your  directions,  or  I  am  afraid  I  shall  mistake.' 
Dr.  G.,  who  had  just  strength  to  raise  his  head  a  little 
from  the  pillow,  said,  in  a  gentle  tone  of  half  reproofy 
'  Don't  you  remember  the  name  of  that?  •  I  thought  you 
had  known — it  is  only  so  and  so — but  it  is  well  to  call 
things  by  their  right  names.'  At  another  time,  when  she 
urged  him  to  take  larger  doses  of  Hyoscyamus,  as  they 
seemed  to  produce  temporary  relief,  he  entered  minutely 
into  all  his  reasons  for  preferring  a  more  frequent  repeti- 
tion, rather  than  an  increase  of  the  quantity,  adding, 
'  therefore  give  me  just  the  number  of  drops  I  tell  you.' 
These  little  incidents,  in  connexion  with  his  always  using 
terms  of  art  to  describe  his  pain,  and  often  saying  to  his 
family,  '  You  will  find'  this  or  that  complaint  he  had  to 
speak  of '  in  my  book,'  obviously  indicate  the  yet  unex- 
tinguished  prevalence  of  his  leading  dispositions,  a  love 
of  order,  and  an  ardent  attachment  to  his  professional 
pursuits. 

"  None  but  those  who  intimately  knew  Dr.  Good  can 
conceive  how,  in  the  daily  occurrences  of  life,  he  seemed 
to  forget  his  own  ease  in  his  attention  to  the  wants  of 
others,  and  in  his  earnest  desire  to  promote  their  comfort. 
And  never  was  this  disposition  more  manifested  than 
during  his  last  illness.  On  one  occasion  he  said  to  his 
eldest  daughter,  '  Perhaps  I  did  wrong  in  coming  here 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  305 

on  Saturday ;  but  I  knew  how  greatly  distressed  you  and 
Margaret  would  be,  and  I  could  not  bear  it.  I  thought 
the  exacerbation  of  the  disease  would  pass  off  with  a 
little  rest,  and  so  I  believe  it  will  in  time.  Now,  how- 
ever, it  is  all  well,  I  am  very  thankful  to  be  in  the  midst 
of  my  family ;  only,  I  grieve  for  the  trouble  I  give  you 
all  :  and  the  dear  children  too,  poor  little  loves.  I  can- 
not bear  them  now ;  but  my  dear  boy  Mason  must  come 
to  me  by  and  by.' 

"  On  Friday  December  29th,  as  you  have  already  re- 
marked, Air.  Cooper  held  a  consultation  with  Dr.  Good, 
who  saw  and  wrote  a  prescription  with  his  usual  accu- 
racy for  his  patient,  the  niece  of  his  much  loved  and 
greatly  esteemed  friend,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Russell,  rector  of 
the  parish.  A  more  striking  scene  can  scarcely  be  con- 
ceived— The  young  lady,  who  was  extremely  ill,  and 
supposed  to  be  in  immediate  danger,  was,  at  her  own 
earnest  request,  brought  into  the  house,  and  placed  by 
the  bed-side  of  her  kind  physician,  who  gathered  up  all 
his  strength  to  attend  to  her  symptoms,  which  were 
stated  with  extreme  difficulty.  At  this  time  his  own 
danger  began  to  be  apprehended  by  his  afflicted  family, 
and  the  friends  of  both  parties  listened,  with  no  common 
interest,  to  what  was  passing  before  them.  The  exertion, 
however,  was  far  too  much  for  Dr.  Good.  The  excite- 
ment it  produced,  occasioned  through  the  whole  of  the 
same  night  and  succeeding  day  much  confusion  of 
thought. 

"  In  the  evening  of  Saturday  December  30th,  he  was 
once  more  completely  himself;  and  this  being  observed, 
Mr.  Russell  was  sent  for.  On  his  entrance,  Dr.  Good 
put  out  his  hand,  saying,  '  You  are  the  very  person  whom 
next  to  my  own  family  I  am  most  anxious  to  see.5  Mr. 
Russell  replied,  '  I  am  come  for  the  purpose  of  imploring 
the  blessing  of  the  Redeemer  upon  you.'  Dr.  Good  then 
inquired,  mentioning  their  names  individually,  if  all  his 
family  were  present?  And  each  answering,  he  said  in 
almost  his  usual  tone  of  voice,  and  with  much  composure 
of  manner,  '  I  cannot  say  I  feel  those  triumphs  which 
some  Christians  have  experienced ;  but  I  have  taken, 
what  unfortunately  the  generality  of  Christians  too  much 
take,  I  have  taken  the  middle  walk  of  Christianity ;  I 
*26 


306  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

have  endeavored  to  live  up  to  its  duties  and  doctrines, 
but  I  have  lived  below  its  privileges.  I  most  firmly  be- 
lieve all  the  doctrines  of  Scripture^  as  declared  by  our 
church. — I  have  endeavored  to  take  God  for  my  Father 
and  my  Saviour;  but  I  want  more  spirituality,  more  hu- 
mility, I  want  to  be  humbled.' Here  he  became  much 

agitated,  but  yet  went  on, — '  I  have  resigned  myself  to 
the  will  of  God.  If  I  know  myself,  I  neither  despair 
nor  presume  ;  but  my  constitution  is  by  nature  sanguine 
in  all  things,  so  that  I  am  afraid  of  trusting  to  myself.' 
Some  remarks  being  made  about  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  Dr.  Good  replied,  '  No  man  living  can  be  more 
sensible  than  I  am,  that  there  is  nothing  in  ourselves ; 
and  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  relying  only  upon  the 
merits  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  know  there  is  a  sense  in  which 
that  expression  of  Saint  Paul's,  "of  whom  I  am  chief" 
is  applicable  to  all ;  but  there  are  some  to  whom  it  is  pe- 
culiarly appropriate,  and  I  fear  I  am  one.  I  have  not 
improved  the  opportunities  given  me ;  I  have  had  large 
opportunities  given  me,  and  I  have  not  improved  them  as 
I  might :  I  have  been  led  astray  by  the  vanitv  of  human 
learning,  and  the  love  of  human  applause.' 

"  Something  being  said  about  the  cleansing  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  he  again  repeated,  'Do  not  think  I  de- 
spair ;  I  am  naturally  sanguine,  I  am  afraid  of  myself.' 
In  compliance  with  Dr.  Good's  own  request,  Mr.  Russell 
then  read  John  i.  15,  16.  dwelling  upon  the  words  '  Out 
of  his  fullness  have  we  all  received.' — Mr.  Russell  then 
asked,  '  Is  there  any  thing  in  particular  that  you  wish 
me  to  pray  for?' — Dr.  Good  answered,  '  No,  I  have  en- 
deavored to  give  you,  not  as  a  matter  of  form,  but  in  the 
sight  of  God,  a  transcript  of  my  feelings.'  '  But,'  re- 
peated Mr.  R ,  '  is  there  nothing  in  particular  that 

you  wish  me  to  pray  for  ?'  The  reply  was,  '  I  want  to 
be  more  humbled  under  a  sense  of  sin ;  I  want  more 
spirituality,  more  humility.'  Mr.  Russell  accordingly 
knelt  down  to  pray.  But  after  this  testimony  to  the 
truth,  this  statement  of  his  feelings,  in  which  all  the 
powers  of  his  soul  and  body  seemed  summoned  up  and 
concentrated,  nature  was  exhausted. 

"  Those  present  had  been  throughout  this  trying,  yet 
abundantly  consolatory  scene,  fearful  that  a  return  of  de- 


DR.    MASON    GOOD. 

lirium  would  follow  so  much  exhaustion  ;  but  before  the 
conclusion  of  Mr.  Russell's  prayer,  Dr.  Good  fell  into 
the  only  peaceful  sleep  which  he  had  enjoyed  for  many 
days. 

"  Sunday  December  31st,  was  a  day  of  intense  agony 
and  frequent  wanderings  of  mind  ;  yet  with  intervals  of 
perfect  recollection  and  composure.  About  noon  Dr. 
Good  sent  for  his  little  grandson,  and  after  solemnly 
blessing  him,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  added  instantly,  '  Now  no 
more, — go,  I  dare  not  trust  myself;'  showing  in  this  last 
remark  a  perfect  self-recollection,  a  state  of  mind  which 
continued  for  several  hours.  Shortly  after  this,  some  one 
mentioned  Miss  W.'s  name,  (the  young  lady  who  was 
governess  to  his  grandchildren.)  Dr.  Good  desired  to 
see  her,  and  on  her  coming  into  the  room,  and  taking 
the  convulsed  hand,  which  he  evidently  wished  but 
wanted  the  power  to  put  forth,  he  spoke  some  words 
expressive  of  his  satisfaction  as  to  her  care  of  the  chil- 
dren', and  urging  the  responsibility  of  the  charge  she  had 
undertaken,  and  her  need  of  remembering  it,  especially, 
he  added,  '  whilst  their  mother  was  laid  aside  (meaning 
by  attendance  upon  himself)  and  I  know  not  how  long 
that  may  last.'  '  I  don't  know,'  he  said,  '  how  much  I 
may  have  to  suffer,  but  I  am  yet  a  strong  man  ;  whether 
we  shall  ever  meet  around  the  dining-table  again,  I  can- 
not tell;'  and  concluded  by  some  expression  of  hope  and 
desire  that  he  should  meet  her  hereafter. 

"  Dr.  Hooper  arrived  late  in  the  evening  of  this  day. 
Our  dear  father  immediately  knew  him,  described  his 
own  sufferings  in  the  usual  medical  terms,  and  was  not 
satisfied  unless  the  quantity  as  well  as  quality  of  the  me- 
dicines administered  was  stated  to  him.  Dr.  H.  did  not 
remain  long,  too  quickly  perceiving  how  unavailing,  in 
this  case,  was  human  skill :  with  tenderness  and  frank- 
ness he  told  us  his  opinion,  and  assured  us  of  his  readi- 
ness to  remain  longer,  notwithstanding  his  pressing  medi- 
cal engagements,  if  his  continuance  would  be  of  the 
slightest  benefit  to  his  friend.  In  the  intervals  of  com- 
posure, and  when  not  suffering  from  extreme  exacerba- 
tions of  pain,  some  of  Dr.  G.'s  family  endeavored  to  re- 
peat occasionally  short  texts  of  scripture,  to  which  he 


308  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OP 

always  listened  with  pleasure,  appearing  however  much 
more  struck  with  some  than  with  others.  On  one  occa- 
sion, without  any  suggestion  or  leading  remark  from 
those  around,  he  was  heard  to  repeat  distinctly  with 
quivering  convulsive  lips,  '  All  the  promises  of  God  are 
yea  and  amen  in  Christ  Jesus.'  '  What  words  for  dying 
lips  to  rest  upon.'  At  another  time,  as  one  of  his  family 
was  sitting  by,  he  uttered  some  expression,  not  accurately 
remembered,  of  deep  sorrow  for  sin.  This  text  was  then 
mentioned,  '  If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and 
just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us  from  all 
unrighteousness.'  He  repeated,  '  faithful  :  yes — nothing 
can  be  more  suitable.' 

"  The  same  evening  one  of  his  family  kneeling  over 
him  said,  'May  I  pray,  can  you  bear  it?'  the  reply  was 
— '  I  am  not  sure,  I  am  in  great  pain ;  but  try  and  pray.' 
Accordingly  a  few  words  were  offered  up,  imploring  that 
the  Saviour  would  reveal  more  of  His  loving-kindness, 
His  exceeding  glory,  to  him  ;  he  listened  attentively,  and 
uttered  something  expressive  of  his  feeling  that  these 
petitions  were  suitable  to  him,  and  of  his  deeply  joining 
in  them. 

"On  Monday,  January  1st,  his  sufferings  increased, 
and  his  mind  wandered.  At  7  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  this  day  his  youngest  daughter  proposed  repeating  a 
well  known  text  of  scripture,  as  the  likeliest  means  of 
recalling  him  to  himself.  She  was  answered  that  this  in 
his  present  weakness  would  only  confuse  him  more.  A 
text  of  scripture,  however,  was  repeated,  and  the  effect 
was  wonderful ;  it  seemed  a  perfect  calling  back  of  the 
mind  :  he  listened  with  manifest  pleasure,  and  concluded 
it  himself.  Many  were  the  texts  which  were  repeated 
at  different  intervals  throughout  this  day,  and  to  which 
he  listened  with  more  or  less  pleasure,  as  they  more  or 
less  seemed  to  strike  his  feelings  as  suitable  to  his  own 
case.  Some  of  them  were,  '  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.'  '  Behold  what  manner  of  love 
the  Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God.'  '  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd1.' 
'  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil.'  Mr.  Russell  being  about 
to  quit  the  room,  Dr.  Good  called  out,  begging  him  not 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  309 

*  to  go.  It  was  most  strikingly  impressive  to  hear  his 
quivering  lips  uttering  the  words  of  scripture,  at  a  time 
when  intense  agony  occasioned  such  convulsive  motions 
of  the  whole  body,  that  the  bed  often  shook  under  him. 
His  youngest  daughter,  who  was  then  holding  his  poor 
cold  hands,  said  to  him, '  Do  you  remember  your  favorite 
hymn  ?'  '  There  is  a  fountain  fill'd  with  blood  :'  he  had 
repeated  it  in  the  earlier  part  of  his  illness,  and  told  Mr. 
Russell  that  sometimes  when  walking  through  the  streets 
of  London  he  used  to  repeat  it  to  himself.  In  one  in- 
stance he  altered  it  unintentionally,  but  still  strictly  pre- 
serving the  sense. 

"  Dr.  Good  repeated  it  as  given  in  the  St.  John's  col- 
lection of  hymns,  with  this  exception — Instead  of 

'  When  this  poor  lisping  stammering  tongue 
Lies  silent  in  the  grave.' 

he  substituted 

'  When  this  decaying  mouldering  frame 
Lies  crumbling  in  the  dust.' 

This  little  variation  may  not  be  regarded  as  altogether 
unimportant,  since  it  shews  that  his  mental  powers  were 
still  vigorous. 

"  Sometimes  when  those  around  could  not  remember 
the  exact  words  of  the  passage  of  Scripture  intended 
to  be  quoted,  be  corrected  the  error,  and  repeated  them 
accurately.  One  of  the  texts  he  appeared  to  dwell  upon 
with  most  earnestness  and  delight  was,  '  JESUS  CHRIST, 
the  same  yesterday,  and  to-day,  and  forever.'  When  Dr. 
Good's  former  Unitarian  views  are  remembered,  the 
dwelling  upon  this  particular  text  could  not  but  be  con- 
solatory to  his  family.  Another  text,  which,  without  any 
suggestion  or  leading  remark,  he  repeated  several  times, 
was,  '  Who  art  thou,  O  great  mountain,  before  Zerubba- 
bel  thou  shalt  become  a  plain  ;  and  He  shall  bring  forth 
the  head-stone  thereof  with  shoutings,  crying,  Grace, 
Grace  unto  it,'  dwelling  with  peculiar  emphasis  upon  the 
words,  '  Grace,  Grace  unto  it.' 

"  He  also  appeared  to  derive  great  comfort  from  these 
texts  repeated  by  Mr.  Russell,  '  When  flesh  and  heart 
fail,'  &c.  Also,  '  When  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  I 
will  be  with  thee,'  &c.  He  also  listened  with  much  ap- 


310  RELIGIOUS    CHARACTER    OF 

parent  comfort  to  that  portion  of  the  Te  Deum  suggested 
to  him  by  his  wife,  '  When  Thou  hadst  overcome  the 
sharpness  of  death,  Thou  didst  open  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  to  all  believers.' 

"On  the  afternoon  of  this  day,  (Monday,)  Dr.  Good 
perfectly  knew  every  one,  again  expressed  himself  thank- 
ful to  be  placed  in  the  midst  of  his  family,  and  to  be  near 
Mr.  Russell.  When  Mr.  Travers  arrived  in  the  evening, 
he  immediately  recognized  him,  addressed  him  by  name, 
and  submitted  to  the  means  used  for  his  relief,  though 
painful.  Upon  the  last  opiate  draught  being  given,  he 
he  would  not  rest  satisfied  until  told  the  precise  quantity, 
which  consisted  of  fifty  drops  of  laudanum  ;  and,  con- 
sidering the  great  quantity  administered  at  different  times, 
it  is  indeed  surprising  that  his  memory  and  mental  powers 
should,  up  to  this  period,  have  been  so  little  impaired. 
Mr.  Travers,  having  employed  all  the  means  which  sur- 
gical skill  could  devise,  seeing  they  were  of  no  avail,  did 
not  remain  long  with  Dr.  Good.  After  this  time,  he  was 
constantly  convulsed,  and  uttered  but  one  or  two  con- 
nected sentences.  Seeing  one  of  his  family  standing  by, 
he  made  use  of  his  frequent  appellation  'dearest.'  But 
his  power  of  comprehension  appeared  to  last  much  longer 
than  his  power  of  articulation  or  of  expression.  His 
hearing  now  became  greatly  affected.  Mr.  Russell  called 
to  him  in  a  loud  voice,  'Jesus  Christ  the  Saviour:' — 
he  was  not  insensible  to  that  sound.  His  valued  clerical 
friend  then  repeated  to  him,  in  the  same  elevated  tone, 
'  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God:'  this  roused  him,  and  with 
energy,  the  energy  of  a  dying  believer,  he  terminated 
the  sentence,  '  WHICH  TAKETH  AWAY  THE  SINS  OF  THE 
WORLD  :'  which  were  the  last  words  he  intelligibly  uttered, 
being  about  three  hours  before  his  death.  Mr.  Russell 
twice  commended  the  departing  spirit  into  the  hands  of 
Him  who  gave  it.  The  last  time  was  about  one  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  Tuesday  the  2d  of  January  1827,  and 
at  four  o'clock  the  same  morning,  the  breath,  which  had 
gradually  become  shorter  and  shorter,  ceased  entirely." 

And  now  let  us  retire  from  this  solemn  scene, — assured 
that  the  blessed  spirit,  as  it  escaped  from  the  encumbran- 
ces of  mortality,  soared  to  the  eternal  regions,  and  joined 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  311 

the  "innumerable  multitude"  who  "surround  the  throne" 
and  "  cast  their  crowns  at  the  feet  of  THE  LAMB  ;" — con- 
soling the  bereaved  relatives  with  that  assurance, — and 
seeking  benefit  to  ourselves  by  contrasting  the  peaceful 
end  of  the  Christian  believer  with  the  numerous  instances 
which  daily  occur  of  men  who  die  "  without  hope  :" — 
remembering  that  the  main  "  difference  between  one 
man's  death  and  another's,  dependeth  on  the  difference 
between  heart  and  heart,  life  and  life,  preparation  and 
unpreparedness  ;" — a  difference  which  is  essential,  and 
flows  from  the  grace  of  God. 


SERMON, 

OCCASIONED  BY  THE  DEATH  OF 

JOHN  MASON  GOOD,  M.  D.  F.  R.  S.  &c. 


BY  CHARLES  JERRAM,  M.  A. 

VICAR  OF  CHOBHAM,  AND  LATE  MINISTER  OF  ST.  JOHN'S  CHAPEL. 

2  Tim.  i.  12. 

".I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that 
he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
against  that  day." 

THERE  is  something  peculiarly  awful  in  death,  not  only 
as  the  separation  from  all  we  love  and  value  on  earth  ; 
not  only  of  the  termination  of  all  our  temporal  plans  and 
pursuits,  as  the  dissolution  of  our  bodily  frame,  and  the 
entire  breaking  up  of  the  present  system  of  things ;  but 
especially  as  the  commencement  of  a  new  state  of  exis- 
tence, as  the  entrance  into  regions  hitherto  untried  and 
unknown,  as  the  admission  into  an  order  of  society  alto- 
gether new  and  strange,  and  the  beginning  of  a  period 
that  measures  its  duration,  not  by  the  succession  of 
months  and  years,  but  by  eternal  ages,  and  the  existence 
of  Him,  who  knows  neither  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of 
time. 

It  is  truej  many  pass  out  of  this  life  into  the  next, 
without  much  thought  or  anxiety.  They  submit  to  the 
evil,  as  one  of  necessity,  and  common  to  man,  and  think 
of  nothing  that  may  lie  beyond  the  grave.  They  must 
take  their  chance  as  others  do  ;  and  with  their  eyes  vol- 
untarily closed,  plunge  into  the  abyss,  without  knowing  or 
27 


314  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

much  reflecting  into  what  depths  they  may  fall.  Thought- 
ful men,  however,  are  differently  affected  by  death.  Its 
probable,  or  even  possible  results  greatly  occupy  their 
mind.  The  soul  must  live  forever ;  an  account  of  the 
past  must  be  given  to  a  Judge,  whose  decision  will  be 
final,  and  its  consequences  eternal.  Imagination  can  fix 
no  limits  to  the  magnitude  of  these  facts,  and  the  greatest 
anxiety  is  felt  respecting  them.  A  place  of  refuge,  when 
the  storm  gathers ;  a  prospect  of  happiness,  when  the 
present  scene  closes  ; — a  resting  place  for  the  weary, — a 
sure  habitation, — O,  how  desirable!  But  where  are  they 
to  be  found  ? — What  an  inquiry  !  How  enviable  is  the 
condition  of  him,  who  has  carefully  viewed  the  alternative 
of  life  and  death,  and  has  no  misgiving  thoughts,  no  fore- 
boding fears  as  to  the  future  !  He  stands  on  the  shore, 
looks  at  the  ocean,  is  ready  to  embark,  and  can  say  to  his 
friends,  "  I  am  leaving  you,  but  I  shall  soon  reach  the 
haven  of  rest;  I  know  my  pilot;  I  can  trust  the  vessel, 
and  I  fear  no  danger." 

Such  was  the  confidence  of  St.  Paul ;  and  such,  in  a 
lower  and  qualified  sense,  was  that  of  the  lamented  indi- 
vidual, whose  recent  death  we  are  now  called  upon  to 
improve.  Each  could  say,  though  not  with  the  same  de- 
gree of  assurance,  nor  with  equal  strength  of  hope,  "  I 
know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that  he  is 
able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
against  that  day." 

We  may  consider  this  passage  as  speaking  the  lan- 
guage, I.  OF  SERIOUS  REFLECTION;  II.  OF  ESTABLISHED 
FAITH  ;  and,  III.  OF  ASSURED  HOPE. 

I  will  make  a  few  remarks  on  each  of  these  topics, 
and  conclude  with  an  application  of  them  to  the  case  of 
our  departed  friend  ;  and  may  "  the  spirit  of  all  grace" 
lead  us  into  such  a  train  of  thought,  as  may  issue  in  each 
of  us  being  able  to  say  for  ourselves,  "  /  know  whom  / 
have  believed,  and  /  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that 
day." 

I  have  said,  that  the  text  is  the  language  of, 

I.  SERIOUS  REFLECTION  :  and  that  it  is  so,  might  be 
collected  even, 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  315 

1.  From  its  indefinite  terms.  Nothing  is  here  said 
specifically,  except  that  the  apostle  had  a  fixed  confidence 
and  an  assured  hope.  He  mentions  a  day,  a  deposit,  and 
an  individual,  without  stating  the  particulars  which  were 
passing  through  his  mind.  He  speaks  of  "  that  day," 
without  telling  us  what  day  ;  of  a  deposit,  but  says  noth- 
ing of  its  nature  ;  of  an  individual,  but  he  does  not 
mention  tvhom.  Now  what  does  this  indicate,  but  that 
his  mind  had  been  so  constantly  fixed  on  these  topics, 
that  there  was  no  need  to  mention  them  definitely  ? 

The  day  of  judgment  was  so  ever  present  in  his 
thoughts,  that  he  could  scarcely  think  of  any  other  day, 
except  in  reference  to  it ;  and  therefore  he  calls  it,  as  he 
does  in  two  other  places  of  this  epistle,  (i.  18.  iv.  8.) 
"  thct  day,"  the  day  for  which  all  other  days  were  made; 
that  alone  in  which  man  has  a  deep  interest,  and  which 
must  determine  the  issue  of  every  other  day. 

Again  :  The  care  of  the  soul  was  so  paramount  to  all 
other  cares,  that  all  anxiety  about  the  latter  was  lost  in 
the  former  ;  and  therefore,  when  he  speaks  of  taking 
care  of  anything,  it  was  unnecessary  for  him  to  mention 
the  soul;  for  this  was  always  meant,  if  nothing  else  were 
directly  spoken  of.  Hence,  when  he  says,  "  I  am  per- 
suaded that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  commit- 
ted to  him,"  not  a  moment's  doubt  could  remain  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  deposit ;  for  there  was  but  one  thing  about 
the  security  of  which  he  had  any  anxiety  ;  and  that  was 
his  soul — his  soul,  with  all  its  concerns,  as  connected 
with  time  and  eternity. 

Again  :  with  regard  to  Jesus  Christ,  there  was  no  one 
in  earth  or  heaven  that  was  so  constantly  in  his  mind. 
Just  as  the  traveller,  when  crossing  either  sea  or  land,  if 
he  looks  upwards,  always  sees  the  same  sun ;  so  this 
blessed  apostle,  through  the  whole  journey  of  life,  and  in 
all  its  vicissitudes,  kept  his  eye  incessantly  on  this  "  Sun 
of  righteousness."  Whatever  was  the  subject  of  his  con- 
versation or  writing,  it  always  led  to,  and  ended  in  him. 
He  could  think  of  nothing  else,  and  speak  of  nothing 
else.  He  was  his  Saviour  and  his  God,  his  sun  and  his 
shield,  his  hope  and  his  consolation,  his  guide  and  his 
friend,  his  joy  and  his  crown.  There  was  "  none  in 
heaven  but  he,  and  none  upon  earth  whom  he  desired 


316          SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

in  comparison  of  him."  When,  therefore,  he  says,  "  I 
know  whom  \  have  believed,"  it  was  perfectly  unneces- 
sary to  mention  his  name  :  there  was  but  one,  there 
could  be  but  one,  to  whom  his  thoughts  reverted,  who 
was  worthy  of  his  confidence,  and  was  able  to  sustain  it. 
So  that  the  very  indefiniteness  of  the  passage  shews  the 
frequency  and  intenseness  with  which  the  apostle  re- 
flected on  the  topics  to  which  he  alludes.  But  it  is, 

2.  Prom  the  manner  in  which  St.  Paul  here  speaks  of 
a  most  solemn  transaction,  that  we  especially  perceive  his 
deep  thought  fulness  and  serious  reflection.  From  a  con- 
sideration of  what  he  knew  of  Christ,  he  had  been  induced 
to  commit  to  him  the  keeping  of  his  soul,  till  the  final 
judgment ;  and  he  now,  as  he  had  often  done  before, 
reviews  this  transaction,  and  considers  it  in  all  its  bear- 
ings and  certain  consequences.  He  seems  to  have  been 
reflecting  on  the  power  of  Christ  to  preserve  his  deposit ; 
and  the  awful  alternative,  if  he  should  have  misplaced 
his  confidence :  but  on  the  closest  scrutiny  of  what  he 
had  done,  he  sees  no  reason  to  repent,  or  wish  he  had 
acted  otherwise.  On  the  contrary  he  feels  perfectly  satis- 
fied that  everything  is  safe,  and  that  he  shall  never  be 
disappointed  of  his  hope.  When  the  deposit  is  required, 
he  is  confident  it  will  be  found,  and  will  be  produced  to 
his  unspeakable  advantage  and  joy.  He  is  like  a  person 
who  has  the  charge  of  a  treasure  of  inestimable  value ; 
and  who  knows  that  it  is  impossible  for  himself  to  keep 
safe  possession  of  it;  and  yet,  upon  his  producing  it  on 
an  indefinite  day,  everything  that  is  valuable  to  him  in 
this  world  depends.  He  looks  anxiously  therefore  around 
him  for  some  one  with  whom  he  may  entrust  it,  and  hav- 
ing at  length  found  one,  who  is  willing  to  undertake  the 
charge  of  it,  and  whom  he  thinks  able  to  preserve  it,  he 
commits  it  into  his  hands,  and  incurs  all  risks.  From  a 
natural  anxiety  as  to  the  issue,  he  frequently  reviews  the 
transaction.  He  again  and  again  thinks  of  his  treasure, 
of  the  day  of  final  audit,  and  of  the  person  in  whom  he 
had  reposed  his  confidence :  but  from  every  review,  he 
derives  increased  satisfaction.  The  more  intimately  he 
becomes  acquainted  with  his  friend,  the  stronger  is  his 
conviction  that  nothing  can  overcome  his  power,  or  shake 
his  steadfastness,  or  abate  his  kindness.  His  first  impres* 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  317 

sion  of  safety  is  at  length  raised  to  the  full  assurance  of 
hope,  and  he  says,  with  the  utmost  confidence,  "  I  know 
whom  1  have  believed,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able 
to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  to  him,  against  that 
day." 

Such,  my  brethren,  were  the  serious  reflections  of  the 
apostle  on  the  solemn  transaction  in  which  he  had  com- 
mitted his  soul  to  the  keeping  of  Jesus  Christ :  and  tell 
me  whether  the  affair  did  not  deserve  and  demand  all  the 
care  he  so  anxiously  bestowed  upon  it.  What  can  you 
conceive  of  greater  magnitute  ?  What  that  is  pregnant 
with  more  momentous  results  1  Can  imagination  bring 
together  more  than  is  comprehended  in  the  three  words, 
The  soul  of  man  :  The  Son  of  God:  The  day  of  judg- 
ment ?  Or  can  it  connect,  in  one  transaction,  more  than 
is  involved  in  committing  the  soul  to  the  son  of  God, 
against  the  day  of  judgment  ? 

Weigh  the  icords  separately  ;  and  what  estimate  will 
you  put  upon  the  soul?  On  what  scale  of  relative  value 
will  you  appreciate  that  which  derived  its  origin  from  the 
inspiration  of  God,  and  was  stamped  with  the  impression 
of  the  divine  image?  that  which  is  the  connecting  link 
between  earth  and  heaven  ?  which  extends  itself  through 
boundless  space  and  endless  duration  ?  which  has  capacity 
of  sufficient  dimensions  to  contain  the  joys  of  heaven  or 
endure  the  pains  of  hell  ?  which  was  redeemed  at  an  in- 
finite price  1  which  engages  the  ceaseless  attention  of  the 
principalities  and  powers  both  of  light  and  darkness,  and 
which  is  destined  to  be  the  everlasting  associate  of  angels 
or  devils  ?  What  is  the  price  then  I  ask  of  the  human 
soul,  and  what  will  a  man  take  in  exchange  for  it  ?  What 
sleepless  anxiety  must  every  man  feel  for  its  safety ! 
What  sacrifices  of  present  ease  and  enjoyment,  of  wealth 
and  reputation,  of  health  and  even  of  life  will  he  not 
cheerfully  make  that  the  soul  may  receive  its  due  portion 
of  attention,  and  be  finally  saved  !  So  reason  would  con- 
clude ;  so  common  sense  would  suppose  ;  so  self-interest 
would  seem  to  suggest.  But  what  are  the  facts  of  the 
case  1  Where  is  this  just  estimate  practically  formed  ? 
Who  thinks  and  plans  and  acts  as  if  the  soul  were  the 
chief  concern  of  man '?  Nay,  may  we  not  rather  ask, 
who  really  thinks  it  deserves  any  care  at  all  ?  Who  has 
*27 


318  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

spent  one  single  day  in  serious  inquiry  about  either  its 
origin  or  its  destiny ;  its  capacity  or  its  powers  ;  its  re- 
demption or  its  salvation?  Who  resists  a  temptation  for 
its  safety,  or  sacrifices  a  lust  for  its  dignity,  or  foregoes  a 
momentary  enjoyment  for  its  everlasting  well-being  ?  O, 
my  brethren,  what  ravages  has  sin  made,  not  only  on  the 
happiness,  but  on  the  qualities  of  man — on  thought — on 
reflection — on  reason — on  the  soul  !  All  that  is  spiritual, 
immortal  and  godlike,  is  merged  in  sense,  in  appetite,  in 
the  brute.  The  profligate  "  wastes  his  spiritual  substance 
in  riotous  living."  The  profane  "  sells  his  heavenly  birth- 
right for  a  mess  of  pottage."  The  covetous  clings  to  the 
earth,  and  "  loads  himself  with  thick  clay  :"  and  even 
the  beggar,  as  if  it  were  not  enough  that  the  body  should 
perish  for  lack  of  food,  prodigally  throws  away  his  soul 
also  !  May  God, — for  God  only  can  do  it, — awaken  us 
from  this  sleep  of  death,  and  arouse  us  to  a  sense  of  our 
true  interests !  When  he  does  this,  we  shall  be  pressed 
in  spirit,  and  "  work  out  our  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling." 

But  if  the  price  of  the  soul  be  above  rubies,  what  shall 
we  think  of  Him,  who  "  redeemed  it  with  his  precious 
blood  ?"  What,  I  ask,  do  you  think  of  Christ  1  What 
do  you  think  of  his  person,  who  is  "  the  wonderful  Coun- 
sellor ;  the  mighty  God ;  the  everlasting  Father ;  the 
King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords  1"  What  think  you  of 
his  humiliation,  who,  though  he  was  "  the  brightness  of 
his  Father's  glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  person," 
yet  "  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  but  took  upon  him 
the  form  of  a  servant ;  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of 
men  :  and  being  formed  in  fashion  as  a  man,  humbled 
himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross?"  What  think  you  of  the  grace  of  Him, 
"  who,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  became 
poor  ;  that  ye,  through  his  poverty,  might  be  made  rich  ?" 
What  think  you  of  the  mysterious  character  of  Him,  who 
was  "  God  manifested  in  the  flesh  ?"  What  of  his  great- 
ness, power  and  glory,  who  is  "  the  hope  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth,"  the  guide  and  support  and  joy  of  all  the  saints 
from  the  first  parent  of  man  to  his  latest  posterity  ?  What 
of  him,  whose  "  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  kingdom,  and 
whose  dominion  is  from  generation  to  generation  ?"  at 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  319 

whose  "  name  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue 
confess  that  he  is  Lord  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father  V 
Who  ruleth  over  all  things  both  in  earth  and  heaven — 
who  "  hath  spoiled  principalities  and  powers ;"  who  has 
conquered  death  and  the  grave;  who  will  subdue  Satan, 
destroy  his  kingdom,  reduce  the  whole  world  to  the  obe- 
dience of  faith  ;  reign  triumphantly  in  his  church,  and 
fill  the  whole  earth  with  his  glory  ?  What,  I  ask,  do  you 
think  of  Christ  1  Is  the  Redeemer  of  Israel  come  ? 
Are  the  prophecies  respecting  him  accomplished  ?  Has 
the  Son  of  God  appeared  among  us?  Has  he  made  the 
atoning  sacrifice  ?  Has  he  entered  heaven  for  us?  Is 
he  invested  with  his  kingdom,  and  "  made  head  over  all 
things  for  his  church?"  Has  he  commissioned  his 
ministers  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature  ?  Are 
there  any  signs  of  his  second  coming  ?  any  shaking 
among  the  nations  ;  any  light  breaking  into  "  the  habita- 
tions of  darkness  aud  cruelty  ;"  any  indications  of  "  the 
little  stone,  cut  out  of  the  mountain  without  hands,  becom- 
ing a  great  mountain  and  filling  the  whole  earth  ?"  any 
tokens  of  the  "  mystic  Babylon"  falling  before  the  ark  of 
the  covenant?  any  preludes  to  "the  battle  of  the  Lord 
God  Almighty  ?"  to  the  overthrow  of  Satan's  kingdom, 
and  the  establishment  among  every  people  and  nation 
and  language  of  that  kingdom  which  shall  fill  the  whole 
earth  with  peace  and  righteousness  and  glory?  If  so,  I 
ask  again,  what  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  Can  imagination 
fix  any  bounds  to  the  grandeur  of  his  character,  the  ex- 
tent of  his  dominion  or  his  importance  to  man  ?  Well 
might  the  apostle  ever  have  hirn  present  in  his  mind,  and 
deem  him  worthy  of  being  entrusted  with  the  keeping  of 
his  soul ! 

I  cannot  conclude  these  reflections,  without  remarking 
how  different  an  aspect  this  view  of  things  gives  to  the 
Christian  system,  to  those  notions  of  it,  which  reduce 
Jesus  Christ  to  the  level  of  a  mere  man,  to  a  divine  mes- 
senger and  moral  teacher.  There  is  indeed  nothing  of 
mystery  in  this ;  but  there  is  nothing  also  of  grandeur 
and.magnificence.  It  finds  man  in  the  dark,  and  it  fur- 
nishes him  with  a  portion  of  light ;  liable  to  evil  tenden- 
cies, and  it  gives  him  advice  ;  subject  to  mortality,  and  it 
reveals  a  future  life.  The  centre  of  this  system  is  a  man, 


320  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OP 

and  he  performs  the  part  of  a  man,  of  a  good  and  a  wise 
man.  Like  Socrates  and  Plato,  who  were  also  good  and 
wise  men,  he  points  out  the  path  of  honor  and  of  recti- 
tude, and  assures  us  that  virtue  is  its  own  reward  in  tire 
present  world,  and  is  entitled  also  to  reward  in  the  life  to 
corne.  But  look  at  the  coldness,  the  nakedness,  the 
meanness  of  the  affair  ;  and  then  turn  your  eye  upward, 
and  behold  "  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,"  and  gaze  on 
his  glory,  and  feel  his  warmth,  and  walk  in  his  light,  and 
contemplate  the  myriads  of  beings,  in  the  east  and 
in  the  west,  in  the  north  and  in  the  south,  whom 
he  animates,  delights  and  blesses  in  his  daily  course,  and 
will  continue  to  do  so,  while  he  retains  his  station  in  the 
spiritual  firmament  ;  and  when  these  heavens  and  this 
earth  shall  pass  away,  he  shall  establish  a  new  order  of 
things,  and  reign  gloriously  in  "  new  heavens  and  a  new 
earth,"  till  at  length,  "  he  shall  deliver  up  the  kingdom 
to  God  even  the  Father,  and  God  shall  be  all  in  all." 

We  have  thus  seen  that  two  of  the  subjects  which  were 
constantly  uppermost  in  the  thoughts  of  St.  Paul, — the 
soul  and  the  Son  of  God, — were  well  worthy  of  his  most 
serious  reflection  ;  nor  shall  we  think  the  third  less  so, 
when  we  connect  the  day  of  judgment,  with  all  the  cir- 
cumstances of  grandeur  and  terror  that  will  attend,  and 
the  final  and  irreversible  results  which  will  follow  it.  But 
on  these  topics  I  cannot  now  dwell ;  and  indeed,  in  a 
case  where  all  description  must  fall  infinitely  short  of  the 
reality,  the  wisest  plan  seems  to  be  to  leave  imagination 
to  take  its  own  course,  and  present  its  own  picture  to  the 
mind.  What  that  day  will  be  "  for  which  all  other  days 
were  made,"  or  what  that  voice,  which  will  awake  the 
dead  ;  or  that  power  which  shall  shake  the  firm  earth  ; 
or  that  fire  which  shall  dissolve  the  heavens,  or  that  Ma- 
jesty of  the  Son  of  Man,  before  which  all  creation  shall 
be  confounded,  I  cannot  explain.  Nor  will  I  attempt  to 
describe  the  congregated  world,  standing  before  the  Son 
of  God,  surrounded  with  the  glory  of  the  Father,  and  all 
his  holy  angels,  awaiting  their  irreversible  sentence 
from  his  awful  lips ;  nor  that  terror  and  heart-withering 
despair,  which  will  seize  his  enemies  when  "  hell  goeth 
forth  to  meet  them  at  their  coming  ;"  nor  what  is  implied 
in  "  the  worm  that  never  dieth,  and  the  fire  which  is  not 


DR.  MASOX  GOOD.  321 

quenched."  Nor  will  I  say  anything  of  "  the  redeemed 
returning  and  coming  to  Zion  with  songs  and  everlasting 
joy  ;"  nor  of  the  "  opening  of  the  everlasting  doors,  that 
the  King  of  glory  may  enter  in,"  with  all  hi*  ransomed 
and  triumphant  church;  nor  of  their  being  shut  in  with 
their  Lord  ;  nor  of  their  ascriptions  of  praise ;  nor  of 
their  holy  and  happy  associates  ;  nor  of  the  New  Jerusa- 
lem ;  nor  of  the  water  and  the  tree  of  life;  nor  of  what 
is  implied  in  the  tabernacle  of  God  being  with  men,  and 
of  his  dwelling  among  them,  and  of  his  wiping  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes,  and  of  there  being  no  more  death, 
neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  nor  any  more  pain;  nor  of 
the  rest,  the  enjoyment,  the  glory,  the  perpetuity  of  this 
new  state  of  things  ;  I  will  not  dwell  on  these  topics  ; 
only  I  must  say  that  such  a  day  as  this  is  deserving  of 
our  serious  thoughts  and  reflection,  because  we  have 
each  an  infinite  stake  in  it.  We  shall  not  be  spectators, 
but  actors.  It  will  not  be  a  pageant,  but  a  reality.  Not 
an  assize  for  others,  but  a  day  of  trial  for  ourselves  :  and 
on  the  issue  of  which  our  everlasting  "  weal  or  woe,"  de- 
pends. 

Such  then  are  the  three  great  subjects  which  the  apos- 
tle ever  had  before  him  :  the  Soul ;  the  Son  of  God;  and 
the  day  of  judgment ;  subjects  large  enough,  it  will  be 
confessed,  to  fill  the  whole  mind,  and  to  occupy  it  with 
intense  thought.  Nor  shall  we  be  surprised  at  the  con- 
clusion to  which  they  finally  brought  him.  He  was  de- 
termined to  commit  that  soul  into  the  hands  of  that 
Saviour  against  that  day.  Let  us  make  a  brief  remark 
or  two  upon  it. 

There  is  a  peculiar  grandeur  in  the  transaction.  The 
stake  is  immense  ;  the  person  taking  the  charge  of  it  is 
the  Son  of  God,  coming  down  from  heaven,  for  the  ex- 
press purpose ;  and  the  results  are  unalterable  and  ever- 
lasting. What  can  be  compared  with  this  ?  A  kingdom 
in  the  extremity  of  danger,  hazarding  its  last  conflict 
with  a  foe,  hitherto  invincible,  and  now,  as  its  last  re- 
source, placing  itself  in  the  hands  of  a  new  commander, 
whose  name  had  filled  the  world  with  its  glory,  dwindles 
into  nothing  before  it;  because  everything  in  this  case 
is  finite  and  temporal ;  everything  in  the  other,  infinite 
and  eternal. 


322  SERMON    ON    THE    DEATH    OF 

The  transaction  is  one  of  urgent  necessity.  The  soul 
is  in  danger  of  being  lost.  There  is  but  one  possible  way 
of  securing  it ;  for  "  there  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven  given  among  men  whereby  we  can  be  saved,  but 
only  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ."  The  day  of  death, 
which  is  to  us  as  the  day  of  judgment,  is  at  hand,  it  may 
be  the  present  day.  The  affair  therefore  must  be  attended 
to,  or  we  are  ruined  ;  and  it  must  be  attended  to  imme- 
diately, or  we  incur  the  fearful  risk  of  its  being  never 
done  at  all.  "  Now,  then,  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is 
the  day  of  salvation." 

Lastly,  the  transaction  comprises  the  whole  of  religion. 
It  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  everything  which  is 
contained  in  the  whole  gospel  ;  it  has  its  foundation  in 
all  its  peculiar  doctrines;  the  divinity  of  the  Saviour,  his 
atoning  sacrifice,  his  eternal  priesthood,  his  mediatorial 
government.  It  calls  for  the  exercise  of  every  Christian 
grace — faith,  hope,  love,  dependence,  patience,  perse- 
verance, meekness,  humility,  gratitude.  It  involves  all 
Christian  privileges  and  prospects — adoption  into  the 
family  of  God,  union  and  communion  with  the  Saviour, 
supplies  of  grace,  and  strength,  and  eternal  glory.  And 
when  a  person  has  committed  his  soul  into  the  hands  of 
the  Son  of  God,  against  the  day  of  judgment,  he  has 
performed  the  great  business  of  life  ;  he  has  answered 
all  the  purposes  of  redemption,  and  he  has  secured  all 
the  interests  of  eternity.  But  it  is  more  than  time  that 
I  draw  your  attention  to  the  text,  as  speaking  the  lan- 
guage of 

II.  ESTABLISHED  FAITH. — On  this  point,  I  need  not 
long  dwell.  It  is  obvious  that  when  the  apostle  says,  "  I 
know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he 
is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
against  that  day,"  he  expresses  his  firm  and  entire  reli- 
ance on  Jesus  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul  ;  and 
that  after  repeated  and  most  careful  reviews  of  what  he 
had  done,  he  sees  no  reason  to  alter  his  mind,  and  noth- 
ing to  shake  his  confidence  :  he  still  reposes  in  Christ, 
and  is  determined  to  do  so  to  the  very  last  :  his  faith  is 
established,  and  his  mind  is  at  rest.  It  is  needless  there- 
fore to  insist  further  upon  this ;  but  I  will  take  occasion 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  323 

from  this  instance  of  genuine   faith,  to  draw  your  atten- 
tion to  its  nature  and  reasonableness. 

The  minds  of  Christians  have  often  been  perplexed  on 
the  subject  of  faith  ;  and  they  have  been  harassed  with 
doubts  whether  theirs  be  scriptural,  and  such  as  God  will 
approve.  Now  this  passage  seems  admirably  calculated 
to  remove  these  perplexities,  and  to  put  the  question  en- 
tirely to  rest.  Let  us  then  dwell  for  a  moment  on  each 
step  in  the  progress  of  the  apostle  towards  this  established 
faith ;  and  it  will  be  remarked  that  there  are  three — 
KNOWLEDGE,  BELIEF,  TRUST.  "  /  know  whom  I  have 
believed,  and  I  have  trusted  my  soul  to  Him."  Know- 
ledge then,  it  will  be  observed,  was  his  first  step.  He 
first  knew,  and  then  believed.  It  is  of  importance  to 
remark  this,  because  it  has  been  sometimes  said,  that 
faith  is  the  offspring  of  ignorance,  atid  flourishes  best  in 
the  absence  of  evidence.  This  indeed  may  be  true  of 
the  faith  of  many  who  call  themselves  Christians,  but  it 
is  not  the  faith  which  the  gospel  recognizes.  Thousands 
believe  what  others  believe,  and  merely  because  others 
believe  it.  They  receive,  as  articles  of  faith,  what  their 
church  prescribes,  without  a  moment's  thought  on  what 
higher  authority  it  rests.  If  their  church  be  orthodox, 
they  are  so ;  but  if  it  admit  as  truth  the  grossest  errors, 
they  make  no  distinction,  and  receive  the  whole  as  Chris- 
tian verities.  But  this  is  superstition,  not  religion  ;  cre- 
dulity, not  faith ;  and  ought  never  to  be  confounded  with 
that  reception  of  Christian  doctrines  which  results  from 
the  evidence  of  scriptural  testimony.  The  faith  of  the 
apostle,  it  is  evident,  proceeded  from  his  knowledge  of 
Christ ;  and  let  it  be  observed  that  this  knowledge  is 
twofold — historical  and  experimental.  He  believed  in 
Jesus  Christ  for  the  same  reason  that  he  believed  in  any 
other  person  of  whom  he  had  heard  mention,  or  whose 
name  was  recorded  in  history.  He  had  heard  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  those  that  knew  him;  and  he  read  in  records, 
which  he  had  no  reason  to  distrust,  of  his  miracles,  and 
prophecies,  and  doctrines,  and  could  entertain  no  rea- 
sonable doubt  of  their  truth  ;  and  therefore  he  believed 
them.  And  this  was  the  apostle's  historical  knowledge 
of  Christ ;  and  it  is  the  same,  in  substance,  as  that  of 
Christians  in  the  present  day.  They  also  have  access  to 


324  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

the  same  records ;  they  read  the  same  facts,  and  come  to 
the  same  conclusion.  They  could  not  do  otherwise, 
without  rejecting  the  principles  on  which  credit  is  given 
to  all  the  facts  and  events  of  former  times,  and  thus  de- 
stroying the  foundation  of  all  historical  knowledge.  Now 
this  knowledge  of  the  facts  recorded  in  the  gospel,  af- 
fords a  basis  on  which  faith  first  reposes  ;  it  satisfies  the 
mind  that  Christ  is  the  Messiah  and  the  Saviour  of  the 
world ;  but  it  is  not  all  that  is  necessary  for  the  peace 
and  happiness  of  a  Christian.  He  has  a  personal  interest 
in  the  Saviour  of  whom  he  reads,  and  has  an  important 
affair  to  transact  with  him ;  and  he  needs  an  acquain- 
tance with  him  of  a  more  intimate  kind,  before  he  can 
feel  perfectly  at  ease  in  entrusting  his  concerns  in  his 
hands.  A  comparatively  slight  knowledge  of  an  indi- 
vidual, in  whom  we  have  no  particular  interest,  may  suf- 
fice for  our  giving  him  credit  for  many  excellent  qualities; 
but  if  we  have  a  deep  stake  in  the  truth  of  what  we  have 
heard  only  in  report,  we  need  something  further  to  justify 
our  confidence.  We  cannot  be  satisfied  without  some 
intimate  knowledge  of  him  ;  some  experience  of  his 
kindness  and  ability  ;  and  the  more  we  obtain  of  this 
kind  of  knowledge,  the  more  firm  is  our  reliance  and 
repose.  Now  such  is  the  Christian's  experimental  know- 
ledge of  Jesus  Christ.  What  he  first  heard  of  him,  jus- 
tified him  in  crediting  what  was  recorded  of  him ;  but 
having  an  important  trust  to  repose  in  him,  he  seeks  a 
closer  acquaintance  with  the  Saviour,  and  finds  at  length 
that  "  he  is  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come 
unto  God  by  him."  Hence  it  appears  that  faith  has  its 
foundation  in  knowledge ;  in  knowledge  grounded  upon 
facts  and  actual  experience  ;  and  without  such  know- 
ledge, there  can  be  no  genuine  and  established  faith. 

The  second  step  towards  an  established  faith  is  a  belief 
or  full  assent  of  the  mind  and  heart  to  the  truth  which 
we  have  learned  in  the  gospel.  This  indeed  has  been 
shown,  as  the  necessary  result  of  the  knowledge  of 
Christ,  but  I  here  repeat  it  for  the  purpose  of  more  dis- 
tinctly noticing  the  gradation  from  knowledge  to  belief, 
and  the  nature  of  that  assent  which  the  Christian  gives 
to  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel.  This  belief  does  not  im- 
ply that  we  understand  or  even  think  of  the  principle 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  325 

or  modes  which  are  involved  in  Christian  doctrines,  but  it 
regards  simply  the  fftrts  which  they  contain  ;  and  these 
are  things  very  different  and  distinct.  We  believe  innu- 
merable facts,  of  the  principles  or  causes  of  which  we 
know  nothing,  and  believe  nothing.  The  union  between 
the  soul  and  body  of  man,  is  a  fact  which  we  readily 
admit;  but  of  the  manner  in  which  that  union  subsists, 
and  the  essences  of  each  we  are  entirely  ignorant,  and 
believe  nothing.  "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,"  is  a  fact 
which  is  as  easy  to  be  believed  as  any  other  ;  but  there 
is  a  mystery  in  the  manner  in  which  that  union  was 
effected,  which  baffles  human  conception  :  and  we  are 
not  required  to  believe  anything  respecting  it.  Almost 
every  Christian  doctrine  involves  a  mystery,  and  we  are 
charged  with  believing  unintelligible  dogmas.  But  this 
imputation  is  unjust.  The  proposition  which  states  the 
doctrine  is  perfectly  clear,  and  it  is  this  only  which  we 
believe.  The  knowledge  of  the  Christian  respecting 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  extends 
only  to  plain  facts,  and  these  are  the  things  only  which 
he  believes  :  and  all  that  I  would  now  add  on  this  topic 
is,  that  the  Christian  has  all  the  satisfaction  in  believing 
in  Christ  that  the  nature  of  the  case  admits.  He  has 
better  evidence,  as  has  been  repeatedly  shown,  for  admit- 
ting the  facts  stated  of  him  in  the  Scripture,  than  for 
crediting  other  recorded  events  of  the  same  antiquity ; 
and  superadded  to  this,  he  has  the  knowledge  of  experi- 
ence :  he  has  the  evidence  of  moral  sense,  the  conviction 
which  undeniable  effects  produce  of  the  cause  which 
gave  them  birth.  It  was  to  this  kind  of  evidence  that 
the  blind  man  restored  to  sight  resorted,  when  questioned 
by  the  Jews  as  to  the  cause  of  his  cure :  "  one  thing  I 
know,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see."  May  God  grant 
us  a  greater  abundance  of  this  evidence  !  It  will  serve 
us  in  stead  of  ten  thousand  subtle  arguments ;  and  what 
is  still  better,  be  always  in  readiness  to  repel  the  insinua- 
tions which  would  lead  us  to  doubt  of  the  reality  of  our 
interest  in  Christ. 

I  have   still   one  or  two  remarks  to  make  on  the  last 
stage  in  genuine  faith,  and  that  indeed  to  which  the  for- 
mer are  only  introductory.     It  is  the  trusting  of  the  soul 
into  the  hands  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  saved  by  him.     Hav- 
28 


326  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

ing  received  sufficient  information  respecting  the  Saviour, 
and  having  placed  the  fullest  confidence  in  what  is  re- 
corded of  him,  the  Christian  comes  at  length  to  the  all- 
important  transaction  of  depositing  his  treasure  with  him, 
of  committing  his  soul  to  his  custody,  to  be  saved  at  that 
day.  Now  the  nature  of  this  trust  is  the  clearest  thing 
imaginable  ; — it  is  one,  in  temporal  things,  of  every  day's 
occurrence,  and  in  which  we  make  no  mistake  ;  ibr 
however  common  it  be  to  place  a  mistaken  reliance,  it 
never  occurs  that  we  mistake  having  placed  our  confi- 
dence. Apply  this  to  faith  in  Christ.  You  know  some- 
thing of  him,  and  you  believe  in  him,  because  you  know 
him.  The  only  thing  that  is  now  wanted,  is  to  put  that 
knowledge  and  belief  into  practice,  by  committing  the 
soul  into  his  custody.  He  came  into  the  world  for  the 
express  purpose  of  saving  the  soul ;  you  believe  that  he 
is  able  to  save  it,  and  the  next  step  is,  to  commit  it  into 
his  hands ;  and  then  you  can  say  with  the  apostle,  "  1 
know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  I  have  entrusted  my  soul 
to  his  keeping."  What  then,  my  brethren,  is  there  mys- 
terious in  faith?  Is  it  not  an  easy  affair  to  ascertain 
what  you  knoin  of  Christ,  what  you  believe  respecting 
him,  and  whether  you  have  trusted  in  him  ?  The  only 
point  on  which  I  would  particularly  admonish  you,  is  to 
take  care  that  you  advance  to  the  last  stage  of  faith  ; 
arid  I  do  so,  because  few  ever  reach  this.  They  know 
something  of  Christ,  and  they  give  credit  to  all  that  is 
recorded  of  him;  and  at  this  point  they  stop;  and  it  is 
precisely  here  where  Satan  stops.  He  knows  all  and 
more  than  all  that  you  know  of  Christ,  and  he  believes 
it  all ;  but  he  can  go  no  further ;  and  if  you  remain 
here,  your  belief  will  no  more  avail  you  than  that  of 
Satan  avails  him.  The  last,  the  all-important,  and  for 
which  everything  eke  is  simply  preparatory — the  last 

Stage IS     COMMITTING    THE    SOUL     INTO    THE    HANDS    OF 

CHRIST  FOR  SALVATION.  This  then  is  FAITH  ;  it  consists 
of  KNOWLEDGE,  BELIEF,  TRUST — these  three  :  but  the 
greatest  of  these  is  TRUST.  And  what  is  there  unrea- 
sonable in  this  ?  It  is  common  to  treat  the  Christian, 
who  makes  so  much  of  faith,  as  a  weak  enthusiast — a 
wild  fanatic.  But  what  ground  is  there  for  such  con- 
tempt ?  Does  he  not  act  on  the  same  principle  as  that 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  327 

on  which  all  the  extensive  concerns  of  human  life  are 
transacted  ?  Wlr.it,  for  instance,  induces  the  merchant 
to  send  his  goods  to  foreign  countries,  and  place  them  in 
die  hands  of  men  whom  he  has  never  seen  ?  It  is  an- 
swered, lie  has  made  inquiries  into  character  and  ability, 
iind  is  satisfied  with  both  :  he  believes  the  information 
he  has  received,  and  he  commits  his  property  to  his  care. 
And  is  not  this  precisely  the  case  with  the  Christian, 
who  has  confided  his  soul  to  Christ?  The  only  differ- 
ence is,  that  the  soul  infinitely  transcends  in  value  all 
other  treasures,  and  therefore  requires  a  corresponding 
care  that  we  are  not  deceived  in  the  individual  to  whom 
it  is  entrusted  ;  but  lie  is  furnished  with  all  the  addi- 
tional evidence  which  the  paramount  importance  of  the 
case  demands  ;  his  faith  rests  on  infinitely  surer  docu- 
ments than  any  which  merely  human  testimony  can  af- 
ford, and  on  a  Being  who  is  able  to  sustain  all  his  hopes, 
for  he  sustains  the  world,  and  fixes  the  destinies  of  man. 
The  Christian  kno/r.<  in  whom  he  has  believed,  with  a 
more  perfect  and  better  established  knowledge  than  any 
man  knows  the  person  to  whom  he  confides  his  greatest 
earthly  treasures.  Let  not  then  the  man  of  the  world 
treat  the  man  of  God  as  a  weak  and  credulous  enthusiast. 
The  same  reasons  which  will  satisfy  him  in  conducting 
his  temporal  concerns,  satisfy  the  Christian  in  transacting 
those  which  are  eternal ;  and  the  Christian  who  reposes 
his  soul  on  Christ,  has  a  better  foundation  on  which  to 
rest,  than  he  who  confides  his  property  to  man.  Man  is 
vanity  in  his  best  estate,  and  will  deceive  our  expecta- 
tions. But  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Rock  of  ages  :  he  liveth 
and  abideth  for  ever — "  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday, 
to-d:iy,  and  for  ever." 

An  established  faith,  like  this  of  the  apostle,  can 
scarcely  fail  to  be  accompanied  by 

III.  As  ASSURED  HOPE  : — and  this  is  strongly  ex- 
pressed in  our  text :  "  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that 
day."  Having,  after  mature  reflection,  deposited  his 
treasure  with  One  who  is  so  able  and  ready  to  take  the 
charge  of  it,  it  might  naturally  be  expected  that  he  would 
feel  the  greatest  satisfaction  on  every  review  of  the  trans- 


328  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

action,  and  a  confident  persuasion  that  it  was  perfectly 
safe.  He  had  dug  deep,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
building  on  a  rock  ;  and  therefore  when  "  the  flood  arose, 
and  the  stream  heat  vehemently  upon  it,"  he  would  have 
no  misgiving  fears,  but  wait  in  calm  repose  till  the  tem- 
pest had  passed  over.  And  this  composure  of  mind  is 
one  of  the  present  unspeakable  advantages  of  having 
used  due  reflection  in  committing  the  soul  to  the  care  of 
the  Son  of  God.  In  the  even  tenor  of  life,  when  no 
immediate  danger  threatens,  and  no  principles  are  put  to 
the  test,  a  few  slight  thoughts  of  Christ  and  the  soul  may 
be  sufficient  to  keep  the  mind  at  ease,  and  satisfy  the 
conscience  that  all  is  well ;  but  when  trials  come,  when 
sickness  visits,  when  death  approaches,  and  the  realities 
of  the  future  world  burst  suddenly  on  the  mind,  then 
something  more  will  be  wanted  than  vague  notions,  un- 
settled opinions,  and  unfounded  hopes :  and  the  confu- 
sion and  terror  will  be  dreadful,  if  everything  be  to  seek 
at  the  important  crisis  when  all  should  be  prepared  and 
in  readiness. 

But  how  different  is  the  case  of  the  prudent  man,  who 
has  laid  his  plans  to  meet  the  worst  of  times  ;  who  took 
his  fust  steps  with  caution,  and  proceeded  on  just  and 
well  established  principles  !  In  the  time  of  emergency, 
he  looks  on  the  past,  and  receives  comfort.  He  calls  to 
mind  his  former  experience,  and  derives  hope  for  the 
future.  The  storm  may  be  coming  on,  but  he  is  at  safe 
anchorage.  Death  may  approach,  but  he  has  lost  his 
terrors,  and  he  looks  beyond  the  grave  with  "  a  hope  full 
of  immortality."  But  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should 
enlarge  on  the  comfort  of  an  assured  hope.  All  must  be 
sensible  that  there  is  no  happiness  like  that  of  being 
able  to  say,  in  the  day  of  trial,  and  in  the  last  conflict, 
"  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  I  am  persuaded 
that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  to 
him,  against  that  day." 

I  am  unwilling,  however,  to  lose  the  opportunity  which 
this  passage  of  scripture  affords,  of  pointing  out  the  dif- 
ference between  the  nature  of  faith  and  hope;  and  I  do 
this  the  rather,  because  the  two  are  often  confounded 
and  mistaken  for  each  other,  and  serious  consequences 
have  resulted  from  the  error.  Faith,  we  know,  is  neces- 


DR.    MASON'    GOOD. 

sary  to  salvation  ;  but  hope  is  not  necessary.  Now  if  the 
former  may  exist  without  the  latter,  as  we  shall  soon  sec 
that  it  may,  it  is  evident  that  the  soul  may  be  safe,  with- 
out the  comfort  of  knowing  it :  but  if  the  persuasion  of 
our  being  safe  be  misiaken,  as  it  often  is,  for  the  faith 
which  confides  the  soul  to  Christ,  then,  as  that  persua- 
sion may  be  the  result  of  ignorance  and  presumption,  as 
we  know  it  sometimes  is,  the  most  fatal  consequences 
must  ensue,  for  that  which  is  not  necessary  to  salvation 
has  been  substituted  for  that  which  is  ;  and  a  false  foun- 
dation has  been  laid  for  future  happiness,  which  must 
sink  at  the  moment  when  the  need  of  it  is  most  felt : 
whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  the  true  believer,  who  has  not 
this  persuasion  of  his  safety,  may  be  exceedingly  dis- 
tressed with  the  fear  that  his  religion  is  deficient  in  an 
essential  quality. 

Now  I  conceive  that  the  passage  before  us  makes  the 
difference  between  faith  and  hope  exceedingly  clear.  We 
see  from  it,  that  it  is  the  province  of  faith,  to  believe 
and  trust  in  Christ;  and  of  hope,  to  derive  comfort  from 
having  done  so.  Faith  commits  the  soul  to  the  keeping 
of  the  Son  of  God  ;  and  hope  is  persuaded  that  he  will 
take  care  of  it.  Faith  fixes  its  foot  on  a  rock  ;  and  hope 
feels  assured  that  it  is  safe.  Faith  lays  hold  of  Him, 
who  has  conquered  death  and  the  grave  ;  and  hope  exults, 
"  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me." 

This,  then,  is  their  obvious  distinction  :  but  it  must 
be  repeated,  that  though  faith  and  hope  stand  somewhat 
in  the  same  relation  to  each  other  as  cause  and  effect, 
yet  they  do  not  always  accompany  each  other ;  and  the 
former  sometimes  exists  without  being  attended  with  the 
latter.  The  reasons  are  obvious.  Faith,  we  have  seen, 
consists  in  so  believing  in  Christ,  as  to  confide  the  soul 
to  his  care  ;  and  when  the  consciousness  of  his  power 
and  willingness  to  undertake  this  charge  is  felt,  there 
must  be  joy  and  peace  :  but  various  circumstances  may 
prevent  this  consciousness ;  and  when  this  is  the  case, 
doubt  and  uneasiness  must  follow.  Occasional  lapses 
into  sin,  omissions  of  duty,  defects  in  Christian  temper, 
languid  desires  after  holiness,  inordinate  earthly  affec- 
tions, coldness  and  formality  in  religious  services,  a  mor- 


330  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

bid  sensibility,  mental  or  bodily  infirmity,  and  an  almost 
endless  variety  of  things  may  darken  the  mind,  occasion 
doubts  of  personal  sincerity,  and  induce  the  individual 
to  call  in  question  the  reality  of  his  religious  profession  ; 
and  though  he  may  still  retain  the  strongest  conviction  of 
the  ability  and  readiness  of  Christ  to  save  sinner.';,  and 
may  say  with  Job,  "  though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust 
in  him  j"  yet  the  very  fear  that  he  may  reject  him,  con- 
scious as  he  is  that  he  deserves  to  be  rejected,  will  occa- 
sion great  anxiety  and  distress. 

But  besides  this,  circumstances  may  arise  of  so  awful 
and  unexpected  a  nature,  as  to  fill  the  mind  with  sudden 
terror,  and  render  it  totally  incapable  of  reflection  ;  and 
when  this  is  the  case,  the  fact  of  there  being  no  real 
danger  brings  no  repose.  When  the  storm  arose  on  the 
lake  of  Gennesaret,  the  minds  of  the  disciples  were  so 
overwhelmed  with  fear,  that  "  all  hope  that  they  should 
be  saved"  seemed  taken  away,  though  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self was  embarked  with  them.  When  "  the  mount  burned 
with  fire,"  and  was  surrounded  "  with  blackness  and  dark- 
ness and  tempest,"  and  "  the  sound  of  the  trumpet  waxed 
louder  and  louder,"  not  only  were  the  people  of  Israel 
filled  with  fear,  but  "  so  terrible  was  the  sight,  that  even 
Moses  said.  I  exceedingly  fear  and  quake."  Let  a  per- 
son, who  has  no  want  of  natural  fortitude,  stand  on  a 
rock  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  the  waves  of  which  never 
yet  reached  its  summit ;  and  though,  in  ordinary  circum- 
stances, he  would  feel  no  alarm,  yet  when,  for  the  first 
time,  he  sees  the  storm  sweep  over  the  bosom  of  the 
great  deep,  and  the  billows  roll  in  terrible  fury,  and  the 
elements  above  and  below  him  meet  in  dreadful  conflict, 
and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  his  courage  would  fail 
him, — that  he  would  imagine  the  firm  foundations  of  the 
earth  were  giving  way,  and  that  his  destruction  was  in- 
evitable. The  individual,  it  is  true,  was  safe  all  this 
while,  the  rock  on  which  he  stood  had  braved  ten  thou- 
sand such  tempests,  and  would  stand  unmoved  in  ten 
thousand  more,  yet  he  would  still  be  filled  with  terror, 
and  the  voice  of  an  angel  could  not  calm  his  fears.  And 
thus,  I  am  persuaded,  it  has  often  happened,  that  the 
Christian,  resting  his  whole  salvation  upon  Jesus  Christ, 
has  been  thrown  into  the  greatest  dismay,  and  placed  on 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  331 

the  very  brink  of  despondency,  when  "  the  King  of  Ter- 
rors" has  suddenly  presented  himself,  and  thrown  open, 
in  an  instant,  the  doors  of  the  invi>ible  world,  and  has 
disclosed,  in  one  overwhelming  view,  all  that  is  vast,  and 
terrible,  and  unchangeable  in  these  everlasting  regions. 
Deep  has  seemed  to  call  unto  deep,  at  that  awful  moment, 
and  all  the  waves  and  billows  of  interminable  woe  seemed 
to  be  passing  over  his  soul  ;  and  all  that  he  could  do  in 
an  hour  of  terror  like  this,  was  to  cry,  "  What  must  I  do 
to  be  saved  ?"  "  Save,  Lord,  or  I  perish."  It  is  in  vain 
to  remind  him,  in  circumstances  so  alarming,  of  the  rock 
on  which  he  stands  :  of  the  Saviour,  who  has  the  care  of 
him  ;  of  the  covenant,  which  insures  his  salvation,  or  of 
the  promises  of  eternal  truth  :  fear  has  closed  his  ears, 
and  driven  reason  and  reflection  from  their  seat ;  and 
nothing  is  seen  or  heard,  or  thought  of,  but  tribulation, 
and  anguish,  and  woe. 

Let  it  however  be  observed,  that  this  is  the  exception, 
and  not  the  rule  ;  the  occasional  alarm,  and  not  the  set- 
tled repose  of  him  who  rests  on  the  Rock  of  ages,  and 
knows  in  whom  he  has  believed  :  such  can,  for  the  most 
part,  and  almost  habitually  say,  "  I  am  persuaded  that 
he  is  able  to  keep  what  I  have  committed  to  him,  against 
that  day." 

To  this  I  may  add,  that  as  this  faith  and  hope  gene- 
rally accompany  each  other,  so  also  they  have  to  each 
other  a  relation  of  degree :  a  weak  faith  is  followed  by  a 
faint  hope;  a  strong  faith,  by  a  firm  hope;  and  a  "full 
assurance  of  faith,"  by  a  "  full  assurance  of  hope."  So 
that  they  not  only  correspond  with  each  other  as  cause 
and  effect,  but  have  also  a  relative  connexion  of  quality 
and  strength.  This  indeed  is  too  obvious  to  be  insisted 
upon,  and  I  mention  it  merely  in  order  to  point  out  the 
cure  for  a  feeble  and  desponding  mind.  Doubts  and 
fears,  respecting  the  safety  of  our  state,  usually  arise 
either  from  a  defective  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  in  his 
person  or  offices,  or  from  an  apprehension  that  our  faith 
in  him  is  not  genuine.  If  we  would  remove  these  fears, 
and  obtain  a  settled  and  well  grounded  hope,  the  process 
is  obvious.  Study  the  character  of  the  Saviour ;  get  the 
mind  thoroughly  imbued  with  his  whole  history,  as  ex- 
hibited in  the  promises  and  prophecies  respecting  his 


332  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

first  coming;  his  wonderful  incarnation,  his  life  and 
miracles,  his  sayings  and  doctrines,  his  spirit  and  tem- 
per, his  kindness  and  compassion,  his  sufferings  and 
death,  and  the  ends  they  were  to  answer ;  his  resurrec- 
tion and  ascension,  his  mediatorial  priesthood  and  gov- 
ernment, the  ultimate  purpose  of  his  grace  and  mercy  to 
man  ;  and  the  final  triumph  of  his  kingdom  over  death 
and  the  grave  and  hell,  and  the  everlasting  salvation  of 
unnumbered  millions  of  the  race  of  man.  Do  more  than 
this.  Learn  what  he  meant,  when  he  said,  "  My  flesh  is 
meat  indeed ;  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed."  "  I  am 
the  bread  of  life.  If  any  man  eat  of  this  bread  he  shall 
live  for  ever."  Obtain  an  experimental  acquaintance 
with  him  ;  aim  at  an  union  and  communion  with  him. 
Walk  with  him,  as  Enoch  did  :  Let  "  the  life  which  you 
live  be  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God  ;"  and  having  thus 
gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ,  you  will 
feel  the  utmost  confidence  that  all  you  repose  in  him  will 
be  safe,  and  be  able  to  adopt  the  words  of  the  apostle  in 
their  full  meaning  and  abundant  comfort,  "  I  know  whom 
I  have  believed,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to 
keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him  against  that 
day." 

I  will  only  further  direct  your  attention  to  the  order  in 
which  faith  and  hope  stand.  It  is  the  order,  you  will 
observe,  of  cause  and  effect ;  and  it  would  be  as  absurd 
to  expect  hope  where  faith  does  not  exist,  as  to  look  for 
an  effect  without  any  cause  :  and  yet  irrational  as  such 
an  expectation  may  appear,  nothing  is  more  common. 
Thousands  express  a  confident  hope  of  final  salvation, 
who  have  not  the  least  regard  to  Jesus  Christ,  from 
whom  alone  salvation  flows.  Let  the  question  be  propos- 
ed to  the  mass  of  professing  Christians,  "  Why  do  you 
hope  to  be  saved  V  and  the  common  answer  will  be, 
either  that  they  have  led  inoffensive  lives,  and  have  dili- 
gently attended  the  ordinances  of  religion  ;  or  that  they 
are  less  criminal  than  many  others,  and  doubtless  shall 
obtain  forgiveness  of  their  defects  at  the  hands  of  a  mer- 
ciful God.  Now  in  these  and  similar  pleas  of  hope, 
there  is  not  the  least  recognition  of  a  Saviour  ;  no  regard 
whatever  is  paid  to  the  atoning  sacrifice,  and  no  refe- 
rence to  God  as  "reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  by 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  333 

the  death  of  his  Son."  Their  hope  would  have  been 
precisely  the  same,  if  there  had  been  no  revelation  of 
the  love  of  God  to  man  through  Jesus  Christ,  and  nothing 
had  been  done  by  Christ  to  expiate  the  sin  of  the  world 
by  his  own  death.  But  will  a  hope  like  this  support  the 
soul  in  the  day  of  the  great  account  ? — Let  those  who 
now  trust  to  it,  weigh  the  question  well,  and  learn  what 
that  means, — "  other  foundation  can  no  man  lay  than 
that  which  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ ,"  "  for  there  is 
none  other  name  under  heaven  given  among  men  where- 
by we  can  be  saved."  Let  it  then  never  be  forgotten, 
that  there  can  be  no  hope  without  faith  ;  and  that  the 
only  order  in  which  these  graces  can  stand,  is  faith  first, 
— and  then  hope. 

But  it  is  more  than  time  that  I  apply  this  subject  to 
the  case  of  our  departed  friend. 

That  the  faith  of  Dr.  Good  was  built  on  the  same  foun- 
dation as  that  of  St.  Paul,  and  that  hope  sustained  him, 
as  it  did  this  holy  apostle,  above  the  fear  of  death,  we 
have  the  most  ample  testimony  ;  and  when  we  have  ad- 
verted to  a  few  facts  in  the  life  of  our  friend,  we  shall 
see  reason»to  conclude,  that, 

1.  The  reposing  of  his  soul  for  salvation  in  the  hands 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  satisfaction  he  felt  in  the  review 
of  his  having  done  so,  were  the  result  of  much  reflection 
and  serious  deliberation. 

It  is  well  known  that  our  departed  friend  had,  at  one 
period  of  his  life,  imbibed  the  opinions  of  the  Socinian 
school.  He  rejected  the  doctrines  of  the  divinity  of 
Christ,  his  atoning  sacrifice,  and  his  mediatorial  govern- 
ment ;  and  received  the  tenets  which  distinguish  that  pe- 
culiar sect.  It  is  equally  well  known,  that  at  a  more 
advanced  period  of  his  life  he  relinquished  those  senti- 
ments, and  in  process  of  time  adopted  the  general  system 
of  doctrines  as  stated  and  maintained  in  the  Established 
Church.  Now,  in  order  to  see  the  full  importance  of  this 
essential  change  of  sentiment  in  Dr.  Good,  and  its  practi- 
cal bearing  on  the  great  question  which  it  involves,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  take  a  short  view  of  his  literary 
character,  and  the  causes  which  led  him  to  renounce  his 
former  creed. 


334  SERMON    ON    THE    DEATH    OF 

All,  who  knew  Dr.  Good,  will  allow  that  he  was  a 
scholar  of  no  ordinary  attainments  ;  but  the  i.rt<nt  of  his 
talents  and  erudition  is  kno\vn  perhaps  by  few,  and  I  feel 
apprehensive  that  in  confining  myself  even  within  very 
narrow  limits,  I  may  still  seem  to  overstate  the  facts  of 
the  case.  But  I  should  not  do  justice  to  the  cause  of 
truth,  if  I  did  not  make  a  few  observations  on  his  rich 
intellectual  endowments  and  literary  eminence.  He  pos- 
sessed so  quick  and  retentive  a  memory,  that  whatever  he 
heard  or  read  with  interest  became  his  own  ;  and  hence 
his  memory  was  a  store-house,  in  which  were  deposited 
the  riches  which  others,  as  well  as  himself,  had  collected 
from  the  vast  sources  of  the  natural,  moral,  and  intel- 
lectual world.  His  perception  of  tilings  was  remarkably 
prompt,  clear,  and  discriminate,  so  that  he  almost  intui- 
tively saw  the  nature  and  bearing  of  things,  as  soon  as 
presented  to  him.  His  mind  was  large  and  comprehen- 
sive, so  that  he  could  generally  take  in  the  whole  of  a 
subject,  as  well  as  distinguish  its  minute  parts:  and 
hence  he  possessed,  in  a  more  than  ordinary  degree,  the 
rare  talent  of  correctly  classifying  and  placing  facts  in  a 
luminous  order.  The  versatility  of  his  talents,  and  the 
extent  of  his  erudition,  were  truly  extraordinary.  He- 
seemed  to  be  capable  of  fixing  his  mind  with  equal  in- 
tenseness  on  the  most  opposite  subjects:  and  there  is 
scarcely  a  single  department  of  literature,  of  philosophy, 
of  the  arts,  or  of  taste,  which  has  not  in  its  turn  received 
his  attention,  and  been  enlarged  by  his  genius.  Those 
who  intimately  knew  him,  and  indeed  his  published 
works  attest  the  fact,  say  that  he  had  a  critical  knowledge 
of  many  of  the  ancient  and  modern  languages,  and  a  rom- 
ptttnt  ac quaint ancc  with  not  fewer  than  twehe.  It  is 
supposed  that  his  published  works,  if  collected,  would  fill 
upwards  of  twenty  thick  and  closely  printed  octavo  vol- 
umes, seventeen  or  eighteen  of  which  are  standard  works, 
many  of  them  on  deep  and  recondite  subjects,  and  all  of 
them  enriched  with  various  knowledge,  drawn  up  with 
great  correctness  of  style,  and  adorned  with  the  imagery 
of  a  vivid  imagination.  But  I  pass  by  these  things,  to 
remark,  that  among  his  various  profession:)!,  classical, 
and  scientific  pursuits,  he  found  time  to  attend  to  Biblical 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  335 

literature  ;  and  about  twenty-three  years  ago,  he  gave  to 
the  public  the  first  fruits  of  his  acquisitions  in  thi?  depart- 
ment of  science,  in  a  translation  of  the  Book  of  Canticles, 
with  notes  critical  and  explanatory ;  and  in  the  year 
1^1^,  he  published,  in  a  thick  octavo  volume,  a  transla- 
tion of  the  Book  of  Job,  also  with  copious  notes.  In  this 
latter  publication  especially,  there  is  even  a  redundancy 
of  literary  wealth  ;  and  he  seems  to  have  rendered  almost 
every  nation  and  tongue,  whether  ancient  or  modern, 
tributary  to  the  illustration  of  this  interesting,  but  in  many 
parts,  obscure  portion  of  the  sacred  volume.  But  beside 
these  published  works,  he  has  left  in  manuscript  a  trans- 
lation of  the  Book  of  Proverbs ;  and  also  of  the  Psalms. 
This  latter  translation  is  accompanied  by  various  histori- 
cal, critical,  and  theological  dissertations,  and  is  appa- 
rently ready  for  the  press.  It  seems  to  have  been  his  last, 
and  certainly  it  was  his  most  favorite  work.  It  was  un- 
dertaken, and  probably  composed  under  the  impression 
that  it  icuiild  be  his  last ;  and  a  learned  and  pious  friend 
who,  a  few  months  ago,  was  favored  with  the  perusal  of 
some  parts  of  this  work,  informs  me  that  "  it  is  truly  ex- 
quisite." I  may  just  add,  that  his  interleaved  Bible 
shews  not  only  that  the  Sacred  Scriptures  were  his  fa- 
vorite study,  but  that  he  brought  to  the  illustration  of  them 
whatever  could  be  collected  from  the  copious  stores  of 
ancient  and  modern  literature.  This,  however,  is  neither 
the  time  nor  place  to  go  further  into  the  literary  charac- 
ter of  our  departed  friend  :  nor  should  I  have  gone  thus 
far,  had  I  not  thought  it  necessary  to  do  so,  in  order  to 
place,  in  a  proper  point  of  view,  the  importance  which 
lies  to  that  entire  change  of  sentiment  in  Christian 
doctrine  to  which  I  have  before  alluded.  It  is  quite  evi- 
dent that  our  departed  friend  was  competent  to  examine 
the  ground  upon  which  each  system  rests  ;  that  he  was 
not  likely  to  make  such  a  change,  without  mature  delibe- 
ration: and  that  the  course  of  his  studies  naturally  led, 
as  \\cll  as  eminently  qualified  him,  to  go  fully  into  the 
whole  subject :  and  the  fact  that  he  did,  under  all  these 
circumstances,  relinquish  his  former  tenets,  and  ultimately 
embrace  the  orthodox  faith,  is  very  important. 

The  causes  which  led  to  this  change  were  various  : 


336  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

the  principal,  no  doubt  was,  that  he  found  the  tenets  of 
Socinianisin  inconsistent  with  the  plain  import  of  Scrip- 
ture, and  its  uniform  texture  ;  and  the  fact  is  thus  stated 
by  one,  who  could  not  be  unacquainted  with  it.  "  It  is 
now  about  twenty  years  since  he  entirely  withdrew  him- 
self from  all  connexion  with  Unitarians.  Previous  to 
this  decisive  step,  his  mind  had  appeared  dissatisfied  with 
many  of  their  statements,  as  being  repugnant  to  the  clear 
testimony  of  scripture.  But  one  discourse  in  particular 

of  Mr. ,  seemed  to  be,  in  his  judgment,  so  entirely 

at  variance  with  the  Bible,  that  he  determined,  on  that 
very  Sunday  evening,  to  write  a  statement  of  his  own 
views,  with  a  declaration  of  his  intention  to  discontinue 
his  attendance  at  his  accustomed  place  of  worship."  The 
authority  then  of  the  divine  word,  and  the  doctrines  he 
had  embraced,  he  clearly  saw  could  not  be  held  together  ; 
and  as  he  had  no  alternative,  but  the  rejection  of  one,  he 
surrendered  the  last; — a  course  of  conduct  which  is  not 
always  pursued,  for  it  far  more  frequently  happens,  in 
similar  dilemmas,  that  the  Scriptures  become  the  sacrifice, 
and  infidelity  the  retreat : — a  result  indeed  so  natural, 
where  Socinianism  has  been  identified  with  Christianity, 
and  found  at  length  to  be  untenable,  that  it  is  somewhat 
suprising  that  it  does  not  universally  take  place.  It  does 
however  occur  with  sufficient  frequency,  greatly  to  swell 
the  number  of  infidels,  from  the  deserted  ranks  of  Soci- 
nianism. 

I  ascribe  it  very  much  to  the  honesty  of  Dr.  Good,  as  a 
critic  and  a  scholar,  that  he  came  to  the  determination  of 
renouncing  his  early  opinions.  He  was  too  acute  not  to 
see  the  discrepancy  between  them  and  the  standard  of 
Christianity ;  and  too  faithful  to  the  canons  by  which  the 
language  of  all  authors  ought  to  be  interpreted,  not  to 
surrender  sentiments  when  thus  opposed  to  principles. 
Hence  he  made  no  hesitation  in  thus  formally  renouncing 
a  creed  which  he  could  not  maintain  without  relinquish- 
ing the  principles  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  science 
in  general. 

But  I  cannot  here  dwell  more  particularly  on  this  im- 
portant change  in  the  religious  opinions  of  our  departed 
friend ; — only  I  would  observe,  that  it  took  place  long 


t>R.  MASON  GOOD.  337 

before  he  experienced  a  corresponding  change  of  nature. 
Light  broke  into  his  understanding,  before  grace  found 
its  way  into  his  heart.  He  saw  the  error  of  his  former 
tenets,  before  their  danger  ;  he  found  them  at  variance 
with  the  deductions  of  reason,  before  he  discovered  that 
they  were  subversive  of  happiness,  and  threw  an  impene- 
trable shade  over  all  that  is  glorious  in  our  hopes,  or  ex- 
quisite in  our  enjoyments  ;  and  had  he  died  in  his  former 
opinions,  he  would  have  wanted  all  that  sustained  and 
comforted  him  on  the  bed  of  death.  His  altered  creed, 
however,  was  at  length  followed  by, 

2.  A  corresponding  change  of  heart  and  life,  he  be- 
came "  a  new  man,"  and  thus  verified  the  declaration  of 
the  apostle,  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  new 
creature  ;  old  things  have  passed  away,  and  all  things 
are  become  new." 

In  remarking,  however,  on  the  religious  character  of 
Dr.  Good,  I  would  premise,  that  it  was  not  till  within  the 
last  few  years  of  his  life  that  a  marked  and  decided 
change  took  place.  "  There  has  been,  (says  one  of  his 
beloved  family,  of  whose  communication  I  shall  now 
make  considerable  use,)  a  very  gradual,  yet  to  those  who 
knew  him  intimately,  a  very  perceptible  increase  of  real 
piety  and  love  manifesting  itself  in  his  whole  conduct, 
for  some  years  past  :  but  this  has  been  especially  obvious 
during  the  last  three  or  four  years."  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  change  here  alluded  to  is  chiefly  to  be 
ascribed,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  to  a  very  severe  do- 
mestic affliction  in  the  death  of  his  son-in-law,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Neale.  This  eminent  scholar  and  devoted  Christian 
minister  was  removed  from  his  family  and  the  church  in 
the  midst  of  his  days.  During  a  long  and  painful  illness, 
he  was  watched  over  by  almost  more  than  parental  solici- 
tude by  Dr.  Good ;  and  it  was  evident  to  all  his  family 
that  his  mind  was  most  deeply  impressed  by  the  Chris- 
tian meekness,  patient  suffering,  heavenly  mindedness, 
and  deep  experience  of  this  beloved  relative.  It  was 
scarcely  possible  that  an  example  like  this  could  be  lost 
on  so  reflecting  and  susceptible  a  man  as  Dr.  Good.  He 
was  evidently  much  affected  by  it,  and  was  led  to  greater 
frequency  and  earnestness  in  prayer  :  and  from  this  time 
there  was  a  manifest,  decided,  and  progressively  advanc- 
29 


338  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

ing  improvement  in  the  temper,  desires,  and  pursuits  of 
our  departed  friend.  But  let  us  proceed  with  the  narra- 
tive which  I  had  just  commenced.  "  It  is  now,"  con- 
tinues the  same  relative,  "  about  fourteen  years  since 
family  prayer  was  first  introduced,  but  in  a  manner  alto- 
gether different  from  the  deep  feeling  and  interest  with 
which  of  late  years,  he  has  conducted  this  important  ser- 
vice. It  was  with  him,  for  some  time,  evidently  a  formal 
duty,  hurried  over  as  a  mere  ceremony,  without  any  pro- 
per feeling  of  its  value  or  privilege.  At  first,  some  short 
prayer  was  read,  without  any  reading  of  scripture,  and 
only  in  the  morning.  About  a  twelvemonth  afterward,  a 
portion  of  scripture  was  read,  and  prayers  morning  and 
evening ;  but  in  a  way,  O  how  much  unlike  the  deeply 
serious  and  most  earnest  manner  shewn  of  late  !  when  he 
has  often  been  completely  overcome  by  his  feelings,  and ' 
forgetful  of  his  own  fatigue,  and  of  the  length  of  time 
thus  occupied,  it  has  been  necessary  occasionally  to  re- 
mind him  of  the  unavoidable  engagements  of  his  domes- 
tics. But  latterly,  no  personal  or  family  objects  would 
have  been  allowed  by  him  to  stand  in  the  way  of  the 
regular  performance  of  this  sacred  duty.  His  punctual 
attendance  upon  public  worship  also,  has  for  some  time 
past  been  observed  to  be  gradually  more  and  more  strik- 
ing, as  has  most  evidently  his  approbation  and  love  of 
evangelical  preaching.  His  self-denying  kindness  to  the, 
poor  has  been  also  very  remarkable,  and  whilst  there  has 
been  clearly  seen  of  late  years  a  growing  benevolence  of 
character,  and  a  willingness  to  embrace  every  opportunity 
of  doing  good,  professionally  or  otherwise,  to  those  who 
needed  his  help  ;  he  has  seemed  to  take  an  especial  pica- 
sure  in  being  made  useful  to  any  whom  he  believed  to  be 
the  servants  of  God.  The  interests  of  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  were  especially  dear  to  him.  They 
were  the  frequent  subject  of  his  conversation  in  his  own 
family,  especially  after  any  interval  of  separation  had 
elapsed. 

"  To  his  own  family  he  avoided  speaking  particularly 
of  himself,  and  of  those  sufferings  which  it  is  now  known 
he  must  have  endured,  for  some  time  previous  to  his  de- 
parture, knowing  the  distress  it  would  give  ;  but  to  others 
he  frequently  spoke  of  his  declining  health ;  yet  rather 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  339 

% 

gently  intimating  than  openly  declaring  what  the  issue 
would  be.  He  had  of  late  been  much  engaged  in  looking 
over  his  affairs,  arranging  his  papers,  and  burning  many, 
not,  as  it  seemed  to  his  family,  with  any  apprehension  of 
the  rapid  progress  of  the  disease  he  labored  under,  or  of 
the  nearness  of  his  departure  hence,  but  apparently  in  a 
spirit  of  watchfulness,  that  he  might  be  ready  for  that 
day  and  that  hour  in  which  the  Son  of  man  cometh.— 
His  journey^ to  Shepperton,  a  few  days  previous  to  his 
death,  brought  on  violent  pain,  and  he  was  almost  ex^ 
hausted  on  his  arrival,  but  he  rallied,  after  a  time,  suffi- 
ciently to  give  his  grandchildren  each  a  little  present  as 
his  last  gift.  During  his  last  illness,  extreme  pain  inca- 
pacitated him  from  talking  much,  but  he  was  sometimes 
heard  to  utter  broken  sentences,  such  as — '  O  the  folly 
of  putting  off  religion  to  a  dying  bed  !'  without  seeming 
to  have  any  immediate  reference  to  his  own  case,  because 
he  expected,  at  this  time,  to  recover  from  the  present  at- 
tack. Again  :  '  O  the  vanity  of  human  learning  !'  The 
nurse,  who  sat  up  with  him  in  an  earlier  part  of  this  illness 
alone,  says,  that  great  part  of  the  night  was  spent  in 
prayer.  Sometimes  he  would  speak  to  her,  and  the  pur- 
port of  his  observations,  we  have  reason  to  believe,  was 
an  exhortation  not  to  put  off  religion.  Unwilling  to 
grieve  his  family  by  any  expressions  of  the  agony  he  en- 
dured, his  very  delirium  served  to  show  the  kind  feelings 
of  his  mind,  as  he  then  generally  talked  of  being  well, 
and  begged  those  around  him  not  to  concern  themselves 
so  much.  The  wonderful  ebb  and  flow  of  reason,  the 
entire  aberration  of  mind,  at  some  seasons,  often  suc- 
ceeded by  a  complete  self-collection  and  full  possession 
of  all  his  reasoning  powers  at  other  times,  can  scarcely 
be  conceived  by  those  who  were  not  eye-witnesses  of  the 
fact.  He  was  often  fully  aware  of  this  change  himself, 
one  time  saying,  '  O  this  opium  !  it  has  distressed  me  : 
I  cannot  separate  imaginations  from  realities,  but  I  must 
be  quiet.'  At  another  time,  after  solemnly  blessing  his 
grandson  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  added  instantly,  '  Now,  no 
more  : — go, — I  dare  not  trust  myself.'  This  fear  of  com- 
mitting himself,  or  speaking  unadvisedly,  his  family  and 
friends  were  consoled  by  remarking,  because  it  gave  the 


340  SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OP 

full  weight  to  all  the  deliberate  statements  of  his  own 
views  or  feelings  which  such  statements  could  ever 
have  deserved,  had  they  been  delivered  whilst  he  waa 
in  possession  of  entire  health  and  vigor  of  mind.  I  will 
merely  add  to  this  interesting  account  of  the  gradual, 
but  most  decided  change  in  the  religious  state  of  Dr. 
Good,  that  he  gave  public  evidence  that  be  had  not  "  re- 
ceived the  grace  of  God  in  vain."  Few,  I  believe,  who 
were  favored  with  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  him, 
would  deny  that  there  was  an  increased  seriousness  in 
his  deportment,  and  a  far  greater  zeal  in  the  service  of 
God.  How  constantly  he  was  in  his  place  in  this  chapel, 
you  can  yourselves  testify  ;  and  it  was  very  rarely  indeed, 
that  he  did  not  present  himself  at  the  altar,  when  the 
dying  love  of  the  Saviour  was  to  be  commemorated;  arid 
I  have  often  witnessed,  with  great  satisfaction,  his  appa- 
rent devotion  on  these  solemn  occasions.  He  was  always 
a  kind  husband  and  affectionate  father,  but  Christianity 
greatly  quickened  and  refined  these  feelings,  and  gave 
them  a  holier  direction.  The  same  observations  are  ap- 
plicable to  the  manner  in  which  he  discharged  the  offices 
of  friendship  and  Christian  charity ;  and  I  feel  a  pecu- 
liar pleasure  in  stating  thus  publicly,  that  I  have  seldom, 
in  my  intercourse  with  Christian  friends,  met  with  an 
individual  more  kind,  more  disinterested,  and  more  af- 
fectionate. His  purse  was  always  ready  to  promote  any 
charitable  object,  and  his  professional  talents,  to  admin- 
ister gratuitous  relief  to  such  as  needed  it.  And  here 
I  cannot  help  reading  to  you  a  paper,  which  has  just 
been  found  among  some  manuscripts  which  he  has  enti- 
tled, "  Occasional  Thoughts,"  and  which  are  written 
generally  on  texts  of  Scripture,  and  discover  great  ori- 
ginality of  thinking,  point  in  expression,  and  above  all, 
fervent  piety  and  devotion  of  heart.  The  paper  is  dated 
July  27,  1823,  and  was  evidently  intended  to  be  turned 
to  a  public  use.* 

But  after  all,  let  me  not  be  understood  as  representing 
Dr.  Good  as  a  perfect  character,  or  even  as  greatly  pre- 
eminent in  piety  and  spiritual  mindedness.  To  do  so, 
would  be  to  contradict  his  own  declaration  on  his  death- 

*  For  the  Paper  above  alluded  to,  see  Form  of  Prayer,  pp.  273, 274. 


DR.    MASON    GOOD.  341 

bed";  for  it  was  a  subject  of  grief  to  him  that  he  had  not 
taken  a  higher  standard,  and  aimed  at  greater  Christian 
attainments.  "I  have  taken,"  he  said,  "what  unfortu- 
nately the  generality  of  Christians  take,  the  middle  walk 
of  Christianity,  I  have  endeavored  to  live  up  to  its  doc- 
trines and  duties ;  but  I  have  lived  below  my  privileges. 
I  have  had  large  opportunities  given  me,  but  I  have  not 
improved  them  as  I  might  have  done.  I  have  been  led 
astray  by  the  vanity  of  human  learning,  and  by  the  love 
of  human  applause  :"  and  when  asked  by  the  pious  min- 
ister, in  whose  parish  he  died,  whether  there  were  any 
thing  in  particular  that  he  would  wish  him  to  pray  for, 
he  replied,  "  I  want  to  be  more  humbled  under  a  sense 
of  sin ;  I  want  more  spirituality,  more  humility."  And 
here  I  cannot  help  remarking,  that  the  great  defect  of 
Christians  in  general  is  that  lamented  by  our  departed 
friend.  They  do  not  expect,  and  therefore  do  not  aim  at, 
great  attainments  in  the  divine  life.  It  seems  sufficient 
to  them  if  they  just  prevent  the  spark  of  religion  from 
dying,  and  are  just  able  to  reach  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
But  let  such  know  that  they  are  depriving  themselves 
of  the  most  exquisite  pleasures,  during  their  Christian 
course ;  and  incurring  the  risk  of  seeing  their  sun  go 
down  under  a  cloud.  The  consistent  Christian,  who 
raises  his  expectations  of  spiritual  attainments  to  a  high 
pitch,  and  who  assumes,  and  acts  on  that  assumption, 
that  he  "  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  which  strength- 
eneth  him,"  will  far  outstrip  all  others  in  obtaining  a 
meetness  for  heaven ;  and  will,  in  all  probability,  enjoy  a 
much  stronger  sense  of  the  divine  favor  in  the  hour  of 
death,  "  for  them,  says  God,  that  honor  me,  I  will  honor." 

As  we  have  the  most  undoubted  evidence  that  religion, 
and  the  care  of  the  soul  were  with  Dr.  Good  an  affair  of 
deep  reflection,  so  we  have  equal  proof  that  he  had  most 
deliberately  placed 

3.  His  lolwle  dependence  for  salvation  on  Jesus  Christ; 
and  this  deserves  especial  remark,  as  it  is  precisely  on 
this  point  that  the  reality  of  his  change  of  sentiment  and 
renovation  of  heart  would  be  put  to  the  test ;  for  "  no 
man  can  say  that  Jesus  is  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;" 
nor  would  any  one  entirely  renounce  every  other  depen- 
dence in  the  hour  of  death,  save  Jesus  Christ,  and  him 


342          SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

crucified,  unless  he  believed  him  to  be  "  able  to  save  to 
the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God  by  him."  In  de- 
liberately putting  therefore  his  soul  into  the  hands  of  the 
Saviour,  and  knowing  in  whom  he  had  believed,  he  at 
once  acknowledged,  and  rested  his  everlasting  interests 
upon  the  Godhead  of  the  Saviour,  and  the  all-sufficiency 
of  his  atoning  sacrifice.  Now  that  Dr.  Good  did  this,  is 
most  evident  from  some  of  his  last  and  most  solemn  de- 
clarations. "  No  man  living,"  said  he  a  day  or  two  pre- 
ceding his  death,  "  can  be  more  sensible  than  I  am  that 
there  is  nothing  in  ourselves  in  which  to  trust,  and  of  the 
absolute  necessity,  of  relying  on  the  merits  of  Jesus 
Christ."  "  All  the  promises,  (he  again  remarked  with 
great  emphasis,)  are  yea  and  amen,  in  Christ  Jesus." 
He  more  than  once  repeated  parts  of  that  beautiful  hymn 
of  Cowper, 

"  There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood 

Drawn  from  Immanuel's  veins, 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains." 

And  he  dwelt  with  great  feeling  on  the  following  verse  : 

"  E'er  since  by  faith  I  saw  the  stream 

Thy  flowing  wounds  supply, 
Redeeming  love  hath  been  my  theme, 
And  shall  be  till  I  die." 

I  dwell  the  rather  on  this,  because  it  affords  the  most 
satisfactory  evidence  of  his  complete  renunciation  of  So- 
cinian  principles,  and  his  entire  reliance  for  salvation  on 
the  blood  and  righteousness  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  only  remains  that  I  add  respecting  him,  that  "  know- 
ing in  whom  he  had  believed, 

4.  He  was  persuaded  that  he  was  able  to  keep  what  he 
had  committed  to  Mm  against  that  day."  Or  in  other 
words,  his  faith  in  Christ  yielded  him  a  well  grounded 
hope  of  everlasting  life.  This  hope,  it  is  true,  did  not 
rise  to  that  degree  of  assurance,  which  fills  the  soul  with 
joy,  as  well  as  peace  ;  he  said  "  I  cannot  say  that  I  feel 
those  triumphs  which  some  Christians  have  experienced  ;" 
and  he  seemed  rather  to  check  than  indulge  what  might 
lead  to  them  ;  for  he  said  "  my  constitution  is  by  nature 
sanguine  in  all  things,  so  that  I  am  afraid  of  trusting  my- 
self." He  often  however  repeated  that  text,  and  dwelt 


DR.  MASON  GOOD.  343 

upon  it  with  evident  satisfaction,  "  Jesus  Christ  the  same 
yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever ;"  and  when  the  power  of 
distinct  articulation  was  gone,  and  he  was  almost  in  the 
action  of  death,  and  his  kind  clerical  friend  said  to  him, 
"  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,"  he  added,  with  an  effort 
that  surprised  those  around  him,  "  who  taketh  away  the 
sins  of  the  world."  And  these  were  the  last  words  he 
intelligibly  uttered.  He  soon  after  fell  asleep,  and  his 
spirit  ascended  up  to  God  who  gave  it,  there  to  join  with 
kindred  spirits,  in  ascribing  "  unto  him  that  loved  us,  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood  ;  and  hath  made 
us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father,  glory  and 
dominion  for  ever  and  ever,  Amen." 

The  lesson  which  this  narrative  seems  peculiarly  cal- 
culated to  teach  is  the  insignificance  of  the  highest  intel- 
lectual endowments,  and  the  most  extensive  erudition, 
when  compared  with  Christian  character,  and  an  experi- 
mental knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. 
I  readily  grant  that  no  earthly  distinction  can  be  put  in 
competition  with  mental  pre-eminence.  All  that  glitters 
in  the  eye  as  grand,  and  all  that  captivates  the  heart  in 
wealth  and  pleasure,  sink  into  nothing  before  the  great- 
ness of  a  superior  mind,  enriched  with  the  stores  of  wis- 
dom and  knowledge.  But  alas !  even  this  distinction 
may  be  enjoyed,  and  the  great  purpose  for  which  man 
was  created  and  redeemed  be  defeated.  The  greatest 
attainment  of  man  is  a  conformity  to  the  divine  image, 
and  his  highest  destiny  is  to  be  "  partaker  with  the  saints 
in  light."  Whoever  comes  short  of  these,  falls  below  the 
standard  of  man,  and  forfeits  his  chum  to  the  heavenly 
inheritance  ;  he  is  poor  in  the  midst  of  his  mental  wealth, 
and  without  resource  for  the  day  of  need.  A  death  bed 
will  expose  both  his  poverty  and  wretchedness ;  and 
the  opening  of  a  world,  where  nothing  can  be  admitted 
that  does  not  bear  the  character  of  holiness,  and  the 
stamp  of  the  divine  image  will  in  a  moment  disclose  the 
utter  worthlessness  of  all  that  the  world  admires  and 
idolizes.  Had  our  departed  friend  possessed  nothing 
better  than  natural  endowments  and  literary  acquirements, 
in  what  a  wretched  condition  would  he  have  been,  when 
those  talents  and  those  attainments  would  have  been  of 


344      SERMON  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  DR.  GOOD. 

no  further  account,  than  as  they  involved  a  higher  re- 
sponsibility and  the  abuse  of  them  had  incurred  a  deeper 
guilt  and  heavier  condemnation  !  He  would  then  have 
exclaimed  in  the  language  of  hopeless  despair,  instead, 
as  he  did,  of  comparative  insignificance,  "  O  the  vanity 
of  human  learning!  O  the  folly  of  human  applause  !"  It 
is  on  occasions  like  these,  that  we  see  the  littleness  of 
rank  and  station,  of  titles  and  honors  ;  for  they  cannot 
procure  a  night's  repose,  nor  mitigate  a  single  pain,  nor 
silence  one  accusation  of  conscience,  nor  diffuse  a  ray  of 
light  over  the  darkness  that  hangs  over  futurity,  nor  bring 
down  one  token  of  the  divine  favor.  Here,  nothing  but 
principles,  nothing  but  faith,  nothing  but  a  Saviour  can 
avail  us.  The  prince  and  the  scholar  here  stand  on  the 
same  ground  as  the  humblest  peasant.  They  have  pre- 
cisely the  same  wants,  4fiey  need  the  same  supports,  and 
must  be  cheered  with  the  same  promises.  They  feel 
alike,  and  they  express  themselves  alike.  They  both 
need  forgiveness,  and  both  say  "  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner  !"  They  both  stand  on  the  verge  of  the  same 
world,  and  both  cry  "  Save,  Lord,  or  I  perish."  They 
both  want  the  same  Omnipotent  support,  and  they  both 
lay  hold  of  the  same  "  hope  set  before  them."  I  entreat 
you  then,  my  brethren,  to  appreciate  that  rightly  now, 
which  you  are  sure  to  do,  if  you  are  in  a  sound  mind,  on 
the  bed  of  death.  Let  nothing  be  deemed  of  such  impor- 
tance as  Christian  principles  and  Christian  character. 
Meditate  much  on  the  three  greatest  subjects  to  which 
the  thoughts  of  man  can  reach.  THE  SOUL.  THE  SON 
OF  GOD.  THE  DAY  OF  JUDGMENT.  Connect  the  three  : 
and  never  rest  till  you  can  so  conjoin  them  as  to  say  I 

KNOW  WHOM  I  HAVE  BELIEVED,  AND  I  AM  PERSUADED 
THAT  HE  IS  ABLE  TO  KEEP  WHAT  I  HAVE  COMMITTED  TO 
HIM  AGAINST  THAT  DAY. 


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